And Evil Never Beats Us
by blacklotus21
Summary: The aftermath of a devastating encounter with a Homeworld gem. Will Beach City every be the same? My first fanfiction.
1. And Evil Never Beats Us

And Evil Never Beats Us

_This couldn't be happening…_

Steven stared at the burning remains of what had once been the temple. The head had fallen off, and crushed what remained of his room. He wanted to go and get his ukulele, but knew it was probably destroyed, along with everything else he owned.

It had all happened so quickly. It had been a relatively quiet morning. He had been eating lunch at the boardwalk. Amethyst had frantically burst into Fish Stew Pizza, rambling incoherently about the Homeworld gems and telling Steven he was needed at the temple. By the time he arrived back home, the gem warship was hovering over the beach, and Garnet and Pearl had prepared themselves for battle. A single gem had descended from the ship and told the Crystal Gems to surrender. They, of course, refused, and combat ensued.

It hadn't really been a fight. It had been a massacre. It took the mysterious gem mere seconds to split Garnet, and force Ruby and Sapphire to retreat into their gems. Pearl tried to lunge with her spear, but the mysterious gem sidestepped the attack and promptly impaled Pearl with her own weapon. She had paid very little attention to Amethyst, and barely reacted when amethyst's whip hit her directly in the head. She had merely walked up to Amethyst and landed a crushing blow to her head. The purple warrior hit the sand silently before retreating into her gem like the others. Then, the gem had turned its attention to Steven…

A flash of pain brought the young boy back to reality. Steven tried to stand up, but his strength failed him and he fell into the cold sand. He let out a groan and clutched his right arm. He couldn't move it at all, and it had begun to swell. Everything hurt, and he was having trouble seeing out of his left eye. In addition, he was beginning to feel nauseous. He slowly crawled over to the water's edge to get a better look at himself. He looked down at his reflection in the water to see his condition. The image that stared back frightened him.

Steven looked worse for wear. His left eye was almost entirely swollen shut. His shirt was torn off just below his chest, and his right sleeve was gone. The skin on his right shoulder was black and beginning to peel. He was covered in cuts and scrapes. Steven then noticed the thin crack running through the gem in his navel. He suddenly felt even more nauseous. He turned around, leaned over, and brought up his lunch.

Despite his condition, Steven was aware of his surroundings and the gravity of the situation at hand. He didn't think anyone had time to evacuate Beach City before the battle. He turned his attention towards the town. Though the fighting had primarily taken place on the beach, the small beachside town had been ravaged by the gem warship. Most of the buildings had been reduced to rubble. Steven thought, "I have to find everyone and make sure they're okay. I'm the only one who can save them."

Mustering what strength he had left, Steven managed to stand tenuously, and began to limp towards the wreckage. He didn't see anyone or anything moving. Horrifying thoughts about the fates of the other residents flashed through his mind. Had his dad made it out okay? Were Sadie and Lars alright? Did the Pizzas make it out of their store before it collapsed?

Steven's morbid train of thought was interrupted when his legs gave out and he fell face-first into the sand. He desperately tried to get up again, with similar results. Steven struggled to regain his balance, but ultimately was only able to get onto his knees. He sat there, gazing out over the smoldering rubble that was once his home. Tears began to run down his cheeks.

Steven looked up at the cloudless sky and began to sob. He wasn't able to save his family. He wasn't able to save his friends. He wiped his tears with his working hand and exclaimed," I'm sorry! I wasn't able to do anything! I'm worthless! I couldn't protect the gems. I couldn't protect any of the people who care about me. I couldn't even save myself! If mom hadn't given up herself for me, maybe none of this would have happened! Then everyone would still be…" He put his face in his hand and continued to cry.

Finally, the dizziness got to him. Steven fell onto his side and groaned softly. He realized that at least Connie was still safe, and smiled weakly at the thought. "I'm sorry Connie. I guess…you'll have to find a new friend," he whispered to no one within earshot. He took one more shuddering breath, and everything faded to black.


	2. It's Not Okay

It's Not Okay

It had been over two weeks since Connie had gone to visit Steven. The last time she had stopped by Beach City, Steven had taken her up to a hill which overlooked the entire town. It was a beautiful spot. Connie had intended to visit last weekend, but she became too busy between studying and tennis practice. She had decided to surprise Steven by bringing him a homemade lunch and stopping by for an impromptu visit. She had prepared a picnic basket, and asked her parents to drop her off just outside Beach City. Her plan was to stop by the Big Donut to pick up some dessert for Steven, and then continue to his house. It would only take her about ten minutes to walk to the edge of Beach City, and another five to reach his house from the outskirts of the small town. Assuming there wasn't a line at the Big Donut, it would only be a short stop to grab…

Connie stopped abruptly. She stood and stared out at the Beach City and the temple where Steven lived. Or, more accurately, what little was left of those places. The majority of the town had been leveled; rubble and debris covered the streets and the boardwalk. If not for the ruins of the massive temple and a few buildings which were still standing, Connie doubted that she would have been able to recognize the town. Nothing she knew could cause this much destruction. Maybe it was some sort of gem ship or weapon, like the one Steven had told her about…

_Steven!_

If there had been a gem battle, then Steven would have gotten involved. Last time something like this had happened, the town was largely unscathed, and Steven still came out with a black eye. If this much damage had resulted, who knows what trouble he had gotten himself into! Now genuinely worried, Connie began to jog towards Steven's house. As she passed through the town, Connie became more and more concerned. The town was eerily quiet; even the usual sounds of seagulls seemed to have ceased. As she passed the remnants of Mr. Universe's carwash, Connie noticed that his van was gone. She hoped he had made it out of town in time to avoid the destruction. She shuddered at the thought of finding a body among the debris.

Connie stopped to catch her breath at the Big Donut. All that was left of the store was a pile of rubble, a shredded window canopy, and a donut-shaped sign. She felt a twinge of sadness for Steven at the annihilation of his favorite shop, and hoped that the two nice people who worked there, who she had met when trapped in Steven's bubble, were alright. Thinking of her first encounter with Steven reminded her of her current objective, and she continued her trek towards his house.

Even from the outside, the damage to the temple was clearly visible. Steven's house had been entirely crushed by the giant stone head of the temple statue. When she found Steven, maybe he could stay at her house while they rebuilt his. Connie saw that multiple small gemstones were lying in the sand. Connie knew that they likely belonged to Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. She began to move towards the stones to pick them up, but something else caught her attention. She couldn't see what it was from where she was standing, but it didn't look like it was moving. Resolving to find out what the mysterious object was, Connie began to slowly make her way towards it. As she got close, the object slowly became clearer, until she finally realized what it was. Connie gasped and dropped the basket she was holding.

There, in the middle of the beach, was Steven. He was lying face-down in the sand. Not moving. Connie rushed over and knelt down beside Steven's prone form. She carefully took hold under Steven's shoulders and turned him over to get a better look at him. She managed to roll him onto his back, and her heart sank. Connie had never seen anyone in such bad condition, not even in movies. His left eye was entirely swollen shut, and his clothes were torn. He looked as if he had picked a fight with a wood chipper and Garnet.

"S-S-Steven?" Connie asked. She shook him lightly in an attempt to wake him. "Steven, wake up. It's Connie. Steven, please, answer me!" After a few minutes of trying to wake him up, Steven still hadn't moved at all. Now Connie was really scared. "STEVEN! STEVEN, COME ON! PLEASE, STEVEN, SAY SOMETHING! ANYTHING! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" He still didn't react at all, didn't give even the slightest signal that he knew she was there. Connie took hold of his hand and stared at his face. She could feel the tears running down her cheeks. The whole situation felt unreal. Despite his grievous injuries, Steven looked somewhat peaceful, almost as if he would suddenly open his eyes and say, "Surprise! Hey Connie! I was just joking! Sorry if I scared you." Connie continued to hold his hand and stare at him as she began to reminisce about the time they had spent together. Suddenly, her crying intensified. It just wasn't fair! He never deserved any of this! All he ever wanted to do was help people and have fun! Why did he have to die! Why did her only friend have to die! Connie leaned over so her head was against his chest, and continued to cry.

She failed to notice the sound of something slowly approaching her from behind…


	3. But I'm Still Here

But I'm Still Here

Greg Universe had had a very stressful day. Earlier that morning, a massive gem ship had appeared in the sky above Beach City. Mayor Dewey had ordered an evacuation, and the city had been vacated in a matter of minutes. Since the last time they had been forced to leave, it seemed everyone had taken precautions in the event of another emergency. Greg hadn't looked back, not even once. He knew Steven and the gems could hold their own. Or, at least, he hoped they could.

Once the ship had left about an hour later, everyone had turned around to return home. Greg expected everything to be largely unscathed, just like the last time gems had attacked the town. He had expected everyone to complete some minor repairs, and for Beach City to be running in a couple days.

He had been dead wrong.

The town was not largely unscathed, the repairs would take more than a couple of days, and he was beginning to doubt if the gems and Steven had in fact been able to hold their own. Morbid thoughts ran through Greg's mind as he led the other residents of Beach City through the remains of their home. Once the group had reached the middle of the town, the debris covering the roads had forced them to continue their grim pilgrimage on foot. Occasionally, someone would stop to look at the ruins of their shop or house. Greg paused briefly to pay his respects to what had been his carwash. He supposed that he could rebuild it in a month or so. It would take some time, but as long as everyone stuck together, Greg believed everything would work out okay.

The former inhabitants of Beach City had collectively agreed to walk through the entire town and stop at the far side of the beach, to see what damage had been done. When the group finally reached the temple, Greg began to feel a little bit uneasy. He turned around, and noticed that everyone had stopped walking, and were staring out at the beach. He turned back around, and saw what had caught everyone's attention. He could clearly make out Connie in the middle of the beach. She was on her knees in the sand, with her head against something he couldn't quite make out. Even from this distance, Greg could hear the sounds of her crying. Greg took a few steps towards her before he realized what she was holding. Greg's blood ran cold.

Greg didn't want to believe his eyes. He wanted to believe that Connie was holding a magical gem duplicate, or that the light was playing tricks on him, or that he was going insane. Anything would be better than what he was seeing. He rubbed the tears from his eyes and looked again. No, Connie was still there, kneeling in the middle of the sand. And she was still holding Steven.

He couldn't bear to lose Steven. He had already lost Rose; he couldn't lose his son too. Steven was all that he had left in this world. He should have gotten Steven to leave the city with him. For all his courage and magical abilities, Steven was just a kid. A responsible father wouldn't let a kid run headlong into a magical war. Now his only son was dead, and it was entirely his fault. If he had been a better father, then everything might have turned out okay. He didn't think he had it in him to plan Steven's funeral.

Greg was too lost in thought to realize that he had been slowly making his way towards Connie and Steven. Connie's voice broke his train of thought and brought him back to reality.

"Mr. Universe?" she choked out between sobs. She had been so worried about Steven that she hadn't notice him walking towards her.

Greg looked down at the poor girl. She was holding Steven's hand, and had her other hand behind his head. Tears rolled down her cheeks and stained her shirt. The two stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.

Connie swallowed with a lump in her throat, struggling to say what they were both thinking. "He's…he's gone. He's really gone." She noticed that the other residents had surrounded her and Greg; some of them also had tears in their eyes. Greg looked around at the rest of the town, and then back at Steven and Connie. He knelt down, and stroked Steven's hair.

"No," Sadie piped up, wiping the tears from her eyes, "he's not." Everyone turned their attention towards her. Sadie, looked down at Steven and gave a sad smile before continuing. "He left a bit of himself in each of us. Whenever he told a joke, or tried to help someone, or just said hello, he left some small part of himself. He may…no longer be with us…but we're still here."

Everything became silent, save the crashing of the waves. Greg looked around. Everyone appeared to be remembering some time they had spent with Steven. His gaze returned to Steven, and he once again failed to hold back tears. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Barbara with a look of concern on her face.

Greg wondered if it would all turn out okay.


	4. The People of This World

The People of This World

No one moved for a long time. Connie sat there and held Steven's hand for what must have been hours. When she finally got up, the sun had already begun to set over the ruins of Beach City. Since it was so late, Connie decided to head home. She said her goodbyes, spent another minute beside Steven, and then began her walk back to the outskirts of Beach City. School was not in session tomorrow, so she resolved to return to the beach and help the residents in any way she could.

As Connie left, Greg couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He knew how much Steven had meant to her. It had never occurred to him just how much everyone had cared about Steven. The silence earlier that day had demonstrated just how important his son had been to Beach City. Steven had always had that effect on people. He was always upbeat and enthusiastic, and his sunny disposition seemed to be contagious. Talking to him made you feel like the world was right. Without him around, the town and its residents seemed to be uncharacteristically solemn.

As it was quickly getting dark outside, Mayor Dewey called a meeting to discuss where everyone would sleep that evening. It was decided that they would set up camp on the beach. Everyone split up to help gather supplies and set up shelter. Greg had decided to head back to van to see what he could grab. He knew he had a mattress, a pillow, and some blankets in the back of his van. He also had managed to grab his guitar in his frantic scramble to escape the city. Though it wasn't essential, Greg thought it might help lighten the mood a little. Everyone was pretty shaken up, himself included; some live music would do them good.

When he finally reached his van, Greg went around to the back of the van, opened the door, and froze. Staring back at him was Steven.

Greg looked at the photo on the side of his van. Steven was smiling widely and showing off his fingers, which he had managed to shape-shift into cats. Greg remembered that ordeal vividly. The cats had taken over Steven's body, and Greg had been forced to run him through the carwash in order to remove the ferocious felines. It had turned out to be a good father-son bonding experience. Greg became tearful when it occurred to him he would never have another bonding experience with Steven. Suddenly unable to look at the picture, Greg quickly grabbed what he had come for and shut the van doors.

When Greg finally returned to the beach, he could see that the efforts to find supplies and create shelter had proven fruitful. Multiple jury-rigged tents had been constructed, while several others were well underway. Greg looked over and saw that no one had made any effort to move Steven. It was as if by moving Steven's body they would be accepting that it was actually there in the sand. That it wasn't some illusion. That he was actually gone. Greg felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Jenny looking at him.

"We finished building your tent. Let me show you where it is," she said. Greg looked at her and managed a small smile.

"Thanks," he replied.

He began to follow her into the middle of the improvised Beach City, walking among the residents, who were becoming situated in their temporary homes. Jenny stopped in front of a structure and motioned for Greg to go inside. He uttered a quiet "thank you" before stepping into his tent. Inside, he found a towel laid out for him. He quickly assembled his bed, and sat down with his guitar. He plucked a few strings and, suddenly, a song came to mind. He began to sing it.

"_My darling son, I remember when,_

_I would sing to you, and I would do it again,_

_Beloved child, remember this too,_

_In this world of Gems there's no one like you."_

Greg put down his guitar and crawled into bed. He looked up at the piece of canopy that served as the roof to his tent and began to wonder how they would get through this. Thoughts of the coming day ran through his mind as he drifted off to sleep.

_The next day…_

It was still dark outside as Connie made her way to the beach. In one hand, she carried a bag filled with sandwiches for the residents; in her other hand, she had a cooler with water bottles. She felt that, though she didn't technically live in Beach City, it was still her responsibility to help in any way she could. Her parents had expressed some concern over how late she had come home the night before, but Connie had reassured them that she was fine. When she explained the situation, her mother's first reaction had been to forbid her from being anywhere near Beach City, but after she had seen how worried Connie was, she had allowed her to go back the next day.

When Connie reached the waterfront, she was impressed by the settlement that the Beach City residents had constructed. From her vantage point, Connie didn't see anyone who was awake. However, when she walked into the group of structures, Connie noticed that Mr. Universe was already awake. He was sitting next to Steven, looking out at the ocean as the sky slowly became lighter, and plucking away at his guitar. Connie walked over and sat beside him. He stopped strumming and looked at her.

"Good Morning, Mr. Universe," she said. She reached into her bag, pulled out a sandwich, and offered it to him. "Hungry?" she asked.

Greg looked at her for a moment before taking the sandwich. "Thanks," he replied. "And please, call me Greg." The two sat on the beach for a little while as Greg continued to strum.

A few minutes later, other people began to stir. As more residents woke up, they began to congregate around Connie, Greg, and Steven. Connie helped to hand out the food and bottled water she had brought. After everyone had something to eat, Connie grabbed a sandwich for herself and sat down beside Steven. Connie couldn't explain it, but being near him still made her feel safe, as if he was watching over her. As the sun rose slowly, the residents of Beach City sat on the beach and ate breakfast together.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

* * *

A word from the author:

Hello, everyone! I just wanted to take a minute to thank you, my awesome readers, for joining me on this journey. I would also like to thank my beta-reader for taking the time to help me review and fine-tune my writing. This is my first fanfiction, and I have been exploring a very different writing style than what I am used to. It's been a great time writing so far, and I intend to continue this fanfic for a while longer. I apologize for the wait in between chapters; between school and work, life has been pretty hectic. Be sure to stay posted for the next chapter (things are going to get really interesting). Again, thank you for your continued support. Stay awesome!

-Lotus


	5. Faith In Steven

Faith in Steven

The residents of Beach City had had very little time to gather their wits in the past few days. The initial attack on the city had been a traumatic event, and had shaken everyone's collective resolve. The mental and emotional strain experienced by many of them had been further exacerbated by their mortifying return to their home and the tragic discovery on the beach. This unfortunate chain of events had rattled the town's residents mentally, physically, and emotionally. In their panicked and emotional states, no one had thought to calmly analyze the situation. As a result, the residents of Beach City had collectively overlooked a crucial piece of information. Had they been more attentive during the events of the previous day, they would have made an astonishing discovery. However, as this was not the case, one small fact had gone woefully unnoticed.

Contrary to popular belief, Steven Universe was, in fact, alive.

In his current condition, he was entirely unaware of the congregation on the beach. Despite the commotion of the past day and a half, Steven was completely oblivious to his surroundings and everything that had occurred. He honestly had no idea where he was, or how he had gotten there. He felt way too tired to move at all. However, he could faintly hear voices. He had briefly debated the idea that he was dead, and that this was the afterlife, but had just as quickly dismissed the thought. If this was the afterlife, why did he still feel like he had been hit by Sugilite? And where was his mom? Would she even be here?

Slowly, the events of two days ago came back to him. Thoughts of the condition of Beach City and its residents flashed through his mind. He suddenly began to worry about Connie, and his dad, and the rest of his friends. He had to find them and make sure they were alright! Using every ounce of strength he had left, Steven willed himself to wake up. He slowly began to open his eyes, despite his body protesting the movement, and let out a groan.

Connie had just taken a big bite of her sandwich when she heard a soft groan, and she turned her attention towards Steven. Her eyes widened and she froze. "Steven?" she asked with her mouth full. Connie watched as he blinked and shifted slightly in the sand. She nearly choked on her bite. "Oh my gosh, STEVEN!" she exclaimed and quickly moved to his side. He blinked again, looked up at her weakly, and managed a small smile.

"Connie," he said quietly.

She pulled Steven into a tight hug, eliciting a gasp from him when she put pressure on his broken arm. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. She put her hand behind his head and laid him back on the sand again.

The next thing Steven knew, everyone he knew entered his field of vision. He was suddenly bombarded with questions. What happened to him? Was the thing in the sky gone for good? Was there anything they could do to help? Steven couldn't help but smile at all his friends and their well-wishes. He then looked up and saw his father staring at him with tears in his eyes.

"Dad…I'm sorry," Steven started.

"It's okay," Greg cut him off, "you're okay. That's all that matters." He leaned down and gently picked up Steven. Being extremely careful not to touch his right arm, Greg held Steven close to his chest. Steven returned the hug to the best of his ability. After a minute, Greg carefully put Steven down on his feet. When he let go, Steven tried to maintain his balance, but wasn't able to. He would have fallen into the sand if Greg hadn't caught him. Realizing that Steven wasn't able to stand on his own, Greg carefully picked him up again.

"Do you want to lie down?" Greg asked. Steven looked up at his dad and gave a small nod.

At Steven's affirmation, Greg began walking towards his tent. Connie walked alongside him, once again holding Steven's hand as Greg carried him. Many of the other residents followed the trio. When they arrived, their entourage stopped while Greg and Connie took Steven inside the tent. Being as gentle as possible, Greg put Steven down on his mattress and covered him with the blanket. Steven coughed, and then weakly looked over at his dad and best friend.

"Thanks, guys," he said, before shifting slightly and closing his eyes.

Connie and Greg exchanged a look of concern. The pair stayed with Steven for a few minutes before leaving him to rest. When they left the tent, everyone who had followed them had dispersed and gone back to their original tasks. Still, something on the beach was different. Everyone suddenly seemed more upbeat and optimistic. People were talking and laughing as they went about organizing their makeshift settlement. The mood among the residents had visibly shifted since Steven's miraculous revival. For the first time since the attack, it felt like home. Greg looked at his tent, and then looked down at Connie. She was looking at the entrance to the tent, smiling.

"Connie?" Greg asked. She looked up at him inquisitively.

"I need to go back to the van again. Steven left an extra one of his shirts there, and I want to get something for his arm. I need you to stay with him and make sure nothing happens. If something seems off, go get help. Okay?"

Connie stopped for a second to process the information, and then nodded. "Okay."

Greg gave her a cursory nod in response, then turned and headed towards the edge of the beach. As he began his walk back to the van, he was stopped by multiple residents who wanted to express how relieved they were that Steven was okay. He thanked them quickly, primarily concerned with getting to his van and back to his son as soon as possible. Greg quickened his pace.

He made it to the van much more quickly than he had last time. Greg went around and opened up the back of the van. It only took him a second to find the extra shirt, but he couldn't seem to remember where he put his roll of duct tape. After a few minutes of searching, he remembered that he had given it to Steven. He figured Steven had put it in his room, so he probably couldn't get to it right now. Greg sighed and closed the door to the van. He put the shirt over his shoulder and started back to the beach.

Back at the beach, Connie was inside the tent, keeping an eye on Steven. Watching him as he rested, she couldn't help but worry. He wasn't sleeping well, and had broken out coughing multiple times. At one point Connie had almost considered going to get someone, but Steven's coughing had subsided right when she had resolved to go get help. She really hated seeing him like this. She was relieved that he was alive, but that didn't diminish the fact the he was badly hurt. Connie wondered who would do this to Steven. She guessed that it was one of those gems from space he was telling her about.

Connie heard someone enter the tent, and looked up to see Greg with one of Steven's shirts. Greg returned her gaze with a small smile and a thumbs-up, as if to signal that he had completed his objective. Not wanting to wake Steven, the pair went outside and sat down by the entrance to the tent. When Sadie passed by, Greg asked if there was anything he could do to help. She replied that he should stay and help Steven get better. Some residents had begun to work on fixing the stores near the beach, clearing debris and making whatever repairs they could. It was heartening that people were already beginning to fix up the town. Suddenly, the duo heard noise from inside the tent.

They went inside to find Steven awake, trying to sit up. Greg carefully helped him change into the shirt he had brought, and then used the pillow to prop him up. The nap seemed to have helped. He was noticeably more aware of his surroundings, and was moving around more than he had been earlier. However, it was obvious that he was still suffering from his injuries, some of which looked worse than they did earlier.

"Hey guys, how are you?" Steven asked weakly.

"We're doing okay," Connie replied. "How are you? Feeling any better?"

Steven let out a small cough. "I honestly don't feel so good. And everything hurts still. Still, I'm just glad everyone's alright. I was worried that they didn't (_cough_) make it out of town in time."

"We were prepared this time," Greg replied. "We were worried about you. When we found you, you weren't moving and wouldn't wake up."

Steven gave a guilty look, "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to worry you guys." He paused for a second, coughed again, and then looked at the pair. "Hey, do you know what happened to Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl?"

Connie replied, "I saw a few gems on the ground further down the beach. I think they belonged to Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. I'll go get them." She left the tent to go retrieve the gems.

Steven looked at his dad. "Do you think everything will be okay?" he asked, a note of apprehension in his voice. Greg moved closer to Steven and ruffled his hair.

"Yeah, it'll be okay," Greg replied, his optimistic tone belying his concern. "We'll just fix up Beach City, and the gems will come back, and everything will be back to normal before you know it." He forced a smile. "How about you get some rest, okay, buddy."

"Okay (_cough_) dad," Steven replied. He shifted his position and closed his eyes.

Greg got up and left the tent to allow Steven to get some more rest. Once he got outside, he sat down and put his head in his hands. At that moment, Connie returned carrying four dusty gemstones. Seeing Greg outside the tent, she walked over and sat down next to him. She could tell that he had something on his mind.

"What's wrong?" Connie asked.

"I just don't know what to do," he replied, "We need to get someone to help Steven, but I don't think that he's in any shape to go anywhere. And I don't know anyone who would come all the way here. I know we need to help him, I just don't know how."

Seeing that it was getting late, Connie decided that she needed to head home. She went inside the tent to briefly say goodbye to Steven (though he was fast asleep). She put the gems on the floor beside the mattress before exiting the tent. Connie briefly stopped outside to say goodnight to Greg before starting her journey back to where she had been dropped off that morning.

Connie looked down at her boots as she walked. She knew Greg was right about needing to get help for Steven soon. Though she wasn't well versed in medicine, she could tell that some of his injuries were getting worse, and that he was starting to get sick. From what she had learned from her mom, Connie knew that even a small cut or a minor cough could be dangerous if not treated quickly.

Wait. Her mom!

"I know who can help Steven!" Connie mentally chided herself for her forgetfulness as she headed further away from the beach. She hoped Steven would be alright until the morning.


	6. Responsible Parents

Responsible Parents

Connie couldn't help but feel nervous as she sat in the passenger seat of her mom's car. She turned and looked at her mom, who was focused on the road, and then looked down at the bag of medical supplies in her lap. She was relieved that her mom was willing to drive to Beach City in order to help Steven, but couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong. What if they weren't able to help Steven? He was half-gem, and Connie knew her mom didn't really understand what gems were. In fact, as far as Connie knew, her mother thought that Steven was a regular human. Connie looked down at the medical bag again, feeling even more anxious than before.

Sensing her daughter's distress, Dr. Maheswaran quickly turned her attention to Connie before returning her gaze to the road ahead.

"Connie," she said, not looking away from the road.

Connie looked at her mother, a look of concern plastered on her face.

"Yes, mother?"

Her mom took a breath before continuing her thought.

"I know how worried you are about your friend. I would be too. But you have to understand, we're doing the best we can for him. We should be at his house in about ten minutes. I promise, I'll do everything I can to help him. If what you told me about his condition is accurate, then we should be able to help remedy his conditon. I brought along all of my medical supplies, including a few rolls of gauze, some disinfectant, and some…"

Dr. Maheswaran stopped talking as Beach City began to come into view. The dim light of the morning gave the destroyed town an eerie glow. Dr. Maheswaran had known that the town was in disrepair, but her daughter's description of the damage had fallen utterly short of detailing the actual situation. Dr. Maheswaran didn't think she would have let Connie visit Steven if she had known the severity of the situation.

"You didn't tell me it was this bad," she said, a note of disappointment in her voice.

"I know," Connie replied. She knew that she had omitted some details when describing the situation to her mother. "I was afraid you wouldn't let me come back if you knew how bad it was."

Her mother frowned. "If I had known the whole city had been leveled, I probably wouldn't have. This isn't safe. When we get home, we're going to have a serious conversation about this."

"Okay, mother," Connie said, her gaze returning to the bag she was holding.

Dr. Maheswaran looked over at her daughter briefly.

"You know I only worry about you because I love you."

Connie looked at her mother and gave a half-hearted smile. "I know."

After driving for a couple minutes, the pair reached a point where the road was impassible by vehicle. Dr. Maheswaran noticed Greg's van parked on the side of the road, along with multiple other cars. She promptly stopped her car and set her parking brake. The pair emerged from the vehicle, Connie carrying the bag of medical supplies. Dr. Maheswaran looked around at the deserted group of cars. The situation was somewhat unnerving.

"Come on," Connie spoke up, "everyone's down at the waterfront. Follow me, I'll show you."

Connie began to quickly make her way to the beach, her mother following a few paces behind. As the pair made their way through the ruins, Dr. Maheswaran began to slowly become more concerned about how dangerous the situation was. She couldn't understand how this much damage could have been caused so quickly. If this much destruction had occurred, then it was a miracle that more people were not injured. Still, she found the whole situation very unsettling.

As the pair neared the settlement on the beach, they began to encounter residents who were working on repairing their stores and other buildings in town. Most of the residents looked disheveled and worn. However, they still managed to smile and wave at the pair as they passed by. The two continued to walk towards the beach until a voice suddenly caught their attention.

"Hello! Connie!"

The two turned to see Greg coming out of the remnants of his car wash, waving at them.

"Hello Gr…uh, I mean, Mr. Universe," Connie said, looking up at her mother nervously. "I brought my mother along with me today. You said that Steven needed some help, and my mother is a doctor, so I thought she could help him get better!"

"Hello, Greg," Dr. Maheswaran said cordially.

"Doctor!" Greg replied. He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for coming! I was so worried about getting Steven some help. I didn't think anyone would come all the way here to help him. Thank you so much for this!"

"It's no problem, Greg," Dr. Maheswaran replied. She gave him a small smile. "I just want to make sure that Steven is safe. We Maheswarans are all about safety."

Greg smiled back. "Let me take you to Steven. He's resting in my tent on the beach. It's not a far walk."

With that, Connie and her mother, now accompanied by Greg, continued their journey to the beach. As they walked, Greg recounted the events of the past few days, and explained as much as he knew about Steven's condition.

"…He didn't sleep well last night. He woke up in the middle of the night not feeling well, and couldn't get back to sleep for a while. I was worried that something was wrong. I'm not sure if it's because of his injuries, or from the cold he's starting to get, but he isn't doing well."

"It's probably a bit of both," Dr. Maheswaran responded, "I brought supplies to deal with both situations, though."

The group arrived at the beach, and stopped for a minute to catch their breath. Dr. Maheswaran looked out over the tents constructed on the beach, and couldn't help but feel for the people of Beach City. She knew this was a difficult situation, and that repair efforts would likely be slow. After a minute, the trio began to walk through the temporary town towards Greg's tent. The tents were mostly empty; everyone was currently in the ruins making repairs. The small settlement was quiet, but the voices of the residents could be heard from the beach. Connie noted that it was a sharp contrast from a few days ago, when the entire town had been uncomfortably quiet.

When the group reached the tent, Greg quickly and quietly ushered the group inside. When Connie and her mom entered the tent, they were both worried by Steven's appearance. He was mostly covered by the blanket so that only his arms and head were visible. He looked somewhat pale, and was sleeping fitfully. The burn on his right arm looked terrible, and his eye was still swollen shut. Many of the cuts he had received had also worsened overnight. He was in worse shape than he had been the day before.

Dr. Maheswaran knew immediately that Steven was not well. She could tell that his arm was badly broken just by looking at it, and guessed that many of his injuries had gone untreated for several days. Knowing that his condition was likely worsening by the minute, Dr. Maheswaran quickly grabbed her bag from Connie, set it down, and pulled out a pair of gloves and a stethoscope.

"Connie, I might need your help handing me things while I give him medical attention. Okay?"

Without hesitating, Connie kneeled down next to the bag, a determined look in her eyes.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Greg asked. Dr. Maheswaran quickly looked up at him before returning her focus to Steven.

"I just need some room to work. This will probably take about half an hour."

Greg understood that he would likely get in the way. He noticed the gemstones lying beside Steven, and quickly stooped to pick them up before moving to the entrance of the tent.

"I'm going to go put these in the van, and help Yellowtail and Lars clear the rubble off the road," Greg said.

Dr. Maheswaran acknowledged him with a curt nod. She was focused on checking Steven's pulse and giving his right arm attention. She quickly moved the blanket out of her way, and proceeded to create a splint for Steven's arm. Over the next twenty minutes she bandaged Steven's eye, checked his temperature, and treated the burn on his shoulder. Connie worked quickly to hand her mother supplies that she needed and put them away when she was done. After Steven's major injuries were taken care of, Dr. Maheswaran started disinfecting and patching up the numerous scrapes and cuts he had suffered.

As she was finishing bandaging the last of Steven's wounds, Greg entered the tent, looking noticeably worn out.

"Whew," he exclaimed, "that was a workout. We cleared away enough rubble to make the road usable again. That should help us get supplies to fix up the town." Greg looked down at his son, who vaguely resembled a mummy.

"Is he going to be okay?"

Dr. Maheswaran took off her gloves, rolled them up, and put them into her bag. She turned around to face Greg before responding.

"He should be alright after a few days. Just make sure you keep an eye on him, and have him drink lots of water. Also, check his temperature periodically. He's running fever right now, but it should go down in a few days. If anything seems wrong, call me."

Dr. Maheswaran watched as Greg carefully pulled the blanket over his injured son, a look of worry and unease on his face. She felt sorry for him; in a matter of days, his business had been destroyed and his son had gotten badly injured.

"Greg," Dr. Maheswaran started. Greg turned to her, concern still present in his features.

"I know how hard this must be for you. If this happened to Connie, I don't know what I would do. Just know that I don't think any less of you as a responsible parent. If you need anything, don't hesitate to contact us."

Greg looked at her for a few seconds before giving a half-hearted smile. "Thanks," he replied. Greg felt as if a weight had been taken off his chest, now that someone had patched up Steven.

"Well, we should probably start heading home," Dr. Maheswaran said, grabbing her bag and looking over at her daughter. At this, Connie spoke up.

"Actually, would it be okay if…I stayed here with Steven tonight?"

Her mother's first reaction was to absolutely forbid her from staying, but after thinking for a few seconds, she reconsidered.

"Alright, you can stay, as long as you promise to call me first thing in the morning."

Connie's eyes lit up. "Oh my gosh! Thank you so much…" Connie stopped and quickly regained her composure. "…mother. I promise I will call in the morning."

Her mother shook Greg's hand before exiting the tent and starting the walk back to her car. Connie looked down at Steven, who had shifted his position slightly, and then up at Greg. He made eye contact with her, and then looked around the tent.

"I think Steven left his sleeping bag in my van. Let's see if we can fit it in here."


	7. Part of Your Universe

Part of Your Universe

No matter what she tried, Connie just couldn't seem to get back to sleep. She had slept soundly through a good part of the night before inexplicably waking up at around two in the morning, according to her cell phone. She quickly used the light from her phone to look around the tent, being careful not to shine it directly at Steven, who was still asleep. There was not much room in the tent, so Greg had decided to sleep in his van that night. He had found Steven's bug-shaped sleeping bag in the back of his van, and set it up inside the tent for Connie. Since the road was clear enough to drive all the way to the beach, Greg had moved his van down to the beach. Connie was glad that he was nearby, just in case Steven's condition took a turn for the worse in the middle of the night.

Connie looked down at Steven. She could make out his features in the dim light provided by her phone. His sleep was less troubled than it had been earlier. However, he was still shifting around often, and coughing occasionally. Not wanting to wake him, Connie clicked the power button on her phone, plunging the inside of the tent into darkness once more. She lied down on top of the sleeping bag and began to think about what tomorrow might bring. Connie wondered if the gem that attacked the city was going to come back. If it did, how would the residents defend themselves without Steven or the other gems?

Connie's train of thought was interrupted when she heard a small cough. She turned to her right, and heard someone emit a small groan and move around.

"Steven?" she asked, unable to see anything in the darkness. The tent was silent for a few moments before a voice answered her.

"Connie (cough)? Is that you?"

Connie quickly got her phone out and turned it on. She turned the screen in Steven's direction in order to get a better look at him. He was lying down still, his uncovered eye wide open. The two made eye contact, and Steven gave her a warm smile.

"Hi! How are you?" Steven asked. He looked around the dimly illuminated tent, squinting as his functioning eye adjusted to the darkness. "Where's dad?"

"I'm doing fine," Connie replied, returning Steven's smile. She sat up on top of the sleeping bag. "Your dad's in his van. We cleared off the street, so he was able to drive the van down to the beach." Connie paused briefly. "It's good to see you doing better."

Steven tried to sit up. Connie quickly moved over to him and put her hand behind his back to help prop him up. Much to her surprise, he was able to sit up cross-legged on the mattress. Connie grabbed her phone, turned it on, and placed it face-up on the mattress before mirroring Steven's position. Steven noticed that his right arm felt stiff, and looked down to see the splint. He brought up his left hand to feel the patch on his eye.

"Where'd these (cough) come from?"

"Oh!" Connie replied, somewhat surprised that he had slept through the entire procedure earlier. "My mom came down here to help you. She created that splint and patched you up. I helped hand her stuff when she needed it. Steven broke into a grin.

"Was it like Under the Knife?" he asked playfully.

Connie couldn't help but smile at Steven's inquiry. "Yeah, it was _just_ like Under the Knife," she replied. At this, the pair shared a good laugh.

After the two regained their composure, Steven spoke up again.

"What else happened while I was (cough) out?"

Connie spent the next few minutes explaining the events of the past few days, including the construction of the settlement and the repairs that had been made so far. Steven occasionally interjected with a question, a lighthearted comment, or a cough. Connie was relieved to see him awake and engaged with her. It was the first time since the battle that the two had been able to have a detailed conversation.

After Connie finished recounting recent events, neither of them said anything; the pair simply sat and stared at one another. Steven broke the silence.

"I'm just relieved that you weren't hurt." He put his good arm over his mouth and coughed a couple times.

Connie gave him a concerned look before responding. "You were worried about _me_? What about _you?_ When I saw you on the beach, I was so scared. You're my only friend. If you…didn't make it…I don't know what I would do." She moved closer to Steven and gave him a gentle hug, which he returned with his working arm.

"Please promise me you'll be more careful. Please. I can't bear to lose you." Steven heard Connie let out a small sob. He felt himself tear up a little, and hugged her closer.

"I promise."

The two didn't move for a few minutes. Connie's phone went into sleep mode, once again leaving the pair in the dark; still, Connie and Steven remained where they were. After a little while, the two let each other go, and returned to their original positions on the mattress. Connie woke her phone up, and the two looked at each other.

Connie decided to break the silence this time.

"So…the author of the Spirit Morph Saga decided to start writing a new book series."

Steven gasped, and stars shone in his eyes. "Is it going to be about magic stuff?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah, the new series is supposedly going to be set in the same universe as the Spirit Morph saga. It's going to be from the perspective of Lisa's brother. I hope the ending of the series is better this time."

Steven blushed slightly. He had personally liked the ending of the fourth book of the Spirit Morph Saga, but he knew Connie hadn't liked the way Archimicarus and Lisa had gotten married at the end.

"The ending wasn't that bad," Steven asserted quietly. "It was sweet (cough) how they got together in the end."

Connie gave him a skeptical look. "You still like the ending, huh? Well, when we were in your mom's room, didn't you…"

Connie suddenly stopped talking and perked up. Her sudden silence worried Steven.

"Connie, what's wro-"

"Shhhh!" she replied, her voice barely above a whisper, "did you hear that?" Steven stopped and listened, but didn't hear anything unusual.

"I don't hear anything," he stated, somewhat alarmed by his friend's odd behavior.

"Just listen," Connie whispered. Steven stopped talking and listened again.

Then he heard it.

Something was moving outside the tent, and Steven could tell it wasn't human. The thing emitted a deep growl, and continued moving around the tent. Cautiously, Connie moved to the entrance of the tent. Steven watched as she slowly peeked her head out of the tent. Connie looked to her left, then to her right. She jumped, and quickly ducked back inside.

"It saw me!" Connie whispered frantically. "It's walking towards the tent!" She quickly grabbed her phone, turned it off, and put it into her pocket. Maybe if she turned off the light and didn't make any sound, whatever it was would go away. She saw Steven's eyes widen in fear.

She turned around to see the massive, dark being standing in the entrance of the tent. Connie slowly started to crawl backwards towards the far side of the tent. She reached the wall and felt Steven put his hand on her shoulder and huddled close to him. He was shaking.

Connie closed her eyes, tears streaking down her face. This wasn't how she wanted to die.

Steven was scared out of his mind. He guessed that the monster was probably a dangerous gem creature. Connie didn't have any way to escape, and he was in no shape to fight. He felt Connie move close to him, and he looked in her direction. He could hear her crying quietly in the darkness. The beast let out another snarl, and Steven looked up at it. He could see the monster's huge, glowing eyes in the darkness. The beast began to advance slowly towards the pair. Steven shut his eyes tightly. He could hear its footsteps as it made its way towards them. Time seemed to freeze at the monster stopped, its head mere inches from the pair. Steven could feel its hot breath on his face. He took a deep, shuddering breath and waited for his end to come.

Without warning, the beast pressed its huge, wet nose against Steven's cheek and let out a whine. After a moment, Steven realized that the creature was not, in fact, trying to eat him. The creature let out another whine and moved back a little. Steven turned and looked into the large, glowing eyes. For some reason, they made him feel safe.

Connie took out her phone, and turned it on. Slowly she turned the screen towards the mysterious visitor. Staring back at her was a large, familiar pink face. Steven and Connie both let out a sigh of relief.

"Lion!" Steven said, his heart still pounding in his chest, "you almost scared us both to death! Where were you? I was so worried about you!" When the gem ship had arrived, Steven had told Lion to leave with the other residents. After the attack, Lion had mysteriously vanished. Steven had no idea where Lion had disappeared to; truthfully, he was more concerned with his magical companion's safety than where he had gone. Lion often went exploring on his own, and Steven trusted him to stay out of danger.

Steven moved walked over to Lion and gave him a one-armed hug, resting his head in Lion's soft mane. Lion leaned forward slightly to return the gesture, resting his muzzle on Steven's head. Connie simply stood where she was, watching the reunion for a few seconds before speaking up.

"So…this whole time, it was only Lion, huh."

Steven turned away from Lion to address Connie,

"Heh heh, yeah (cough), the whole time, we were both scared of nothing." For the second time that evening, Connie and Steven had a good laugh.

After everyone in the tent quieted down, Lion moved over to the mattress and padded around for a few seconds. Deciding on a comfortable spot, he plopped down and curled up, covering most of the mattress.

"Lion, that's my bed!" Steven stated, giving Lion a small shove in an attempt to get him to move. Lion responded by stretching his jaws wide into a yawn and shifting slightly. Steven let out a sigh before yawning himself. Giving up his efforts to move Lion out of the way as a lost cause, Steven opted to lay down on top of him, and snuggled into his thick fur. Connie did the same, resting her head besides Steven's. She reached over and turned off her phone before closing her eyes. In a few minutes, the pair was fast asleep.

The next morning, Greg woke up fairly early. He quickly prepared for the day before leaving his van, wanting to check on Steven early. Greg quickly made his way to the tent, stopping just outside the entrance. Very slowly, as not to wake anyone, Greg peered inside the tent, and abruptly stopped. The scene inside warmed his heart.

Connie and Steven were both lying on top of Lion, who had curled up around them. Steven was snoring softly. Connie had shifted closer to Steven in the night, and had put her arm around him. Greg paused and watched the scene for a minute. He debated whether to wake them up, but decided not to. He didn't have the heart to disturb the sleeping trio. Being as quiet as he could, Greg moved away from the entrance to the tent and began to make his way towards what was left of his carwash, leaving Steven and Connie to sleep.


	8. The Light of Beach City

The Light of Beach City

As the residents of Beach City began to wake up, they each proceeded to continue working on getting the town up and running again. Since the road was once again navigable, several individuals decided to go grab supplies and materials. An hour after sunrise, the beach was already largely deserted. As a result, no one noticed when a sudden, bright flash of light came from the back of Greg's van, save the gem who caused it.

Amethyst stretched and yawned for a few seconds before looking at her surroundings. It only took her a few seconds to realize that she was in Greg's van. It was the messiest place she knew besides her own room; she really liked the setup. After a few seconds of getting acquainted with the waking world, recent events began to come back to her. She remembered that Garnet and Pearl had both been wrecked by the evil gem, and spent a few seconds frantically looking around for their gemstones before locating them on the floor beside her foot. She counted to make sure everyone was there. Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire…no Steven. Suddenly remembering that he had been left to combat the gem alone, Amethyst became worried. She decided that her first priority was to find Steven and make sure he was alright. After briefly considering whether or not to take the gemstones with her, Amethyst resolved that it would be better to leave her comrades somewhere safe. She moved to the back of the van and opened the doors.

As Amethyst stepped out onto the sand, she brought up her hand to keep the glaring sun out of her eyes. How long had she been out? It felt like it had been days, though Amethyst wasn't quite certain. That gem had certainly done a number on her. Nothing had ever forced her to retreat into her gem for that long. She looked around for any sign of Steven or the other residents, but found that the beach seemed deserted. Where could that enthusiastic kid be? If he and Greg were alright, they were probably at the car wash. Her mind abuzz with unanswered questions, Amethyst turned and began to jog towards the ruined city.

At the car wash, Greg was busy sweeping away rubble and making sure that the machinery was in order. Though he had been able to clear away some of the larger debris earlier, he hadn't had the time to clean up the wash or check the machinery. He had just completed his sweep of the wash. As far as Greg could tell, almost all of the car wash had been damaged beyond his limited ability to repair it. He would have to replace most of the equipment, which could take weeks. His train of thought was suddenly interrupted when someone called his name.

"Yo! Greg!"

The unexpected voice made Greg jump. He whirled around to see Amethyst walking towards him, looking around at the surrounding buildings. Amethyst stopped a few feet from Greg and looked him over.

"Geez, this place got really wrecked."

Greg wasn't quite sure whether she was talking about the town or his car wash, but was somewhat relieved to see one of the gems awake.

"Hey Amethyst," Greg replied, looking back at his ruined business. "Yeah, that gem thing really did a number on the town."

Amethyst shifted slightly before responding. "Hey, I'm sure you'll fix things up in no time. By the way, where's Steven."

Greg realized that Amethyst probably came to the car wash looking for his son. He set down his tools and walked over to the purple gem.

"He, Connie, and Lion are sleeping on the beach. C'mon, I'll take you there. With that, the pair began to make their way towards Greg's tent.

Back at the tent, Lion decided that he wanted to get up and leave, waking both Steven and Connie in the process. Connie realized that she had her arm around Steven, and quickly drew it back, blushing. The pair sat up and acquainted themselves with their surroundings. Steven let out a loud yawn before looking over at Connie, who was rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning," Steven said. Connie looked at him, smiled, and returned his greeting.

"What's our plan for today?" Connie asked, unsure of how Steven was feeling or what he was capable of doing.

Much to Connie's surprise, Steven slowly tried to stand up, using the side of the tent to keep his balance. After getting on his feet, he let go of the wall to see if he could stand up. Steven stumbled for a second before regaining his balance, and smiled. He looked at Connie, who was staring at him with a surprised look on her face.

"I (cough) really want to walk around town and see how everyone is."

"Are you sure you're up for it?" Connie asked, still concerned about his condition.

"Yeah!" Steven replied, excited about the prospect of finally leaving the tent and seeing his friends. As he and Connie were about to leave the tent, they ran into Greg and Amethyst. Steven realized who was standing before him, and stars appeared in his eyes.

"Amethyst!" Steven said enthusiastically, "you're back!"

Amethyst looked over the injured boy for a second before giving him a nervous smile.

"Heyyyy…buddy. How're ya feeling?" Amethyst asked, looking down at Steven's bandaged arm.

"Better," Steven replied. He followed Amethyst's gaze to his arm. "It hurts less than (cough) it did earlier."

At this, Greg decided to chime in. "Hey, shtoo-ball." He walked over to his son and put a hand on his forehead. "Hey, dad!" Steven replied as Greg checked his temperature. After a few seconds, Greg took his hand away. His temperature had gone down, and he looked much better than he had the day before. Greg briefly wondered if Steven's gem was making him heal faster. Greg looked over at Amethyst and Connie, who were busy discussing the events of the last few days. Greg looked back down at Steven, who was looking up at him with a bright smile. Greg couldn't help but smile as well. Steven's optimism never ceased to inspire him.

After a minute, Connie finished detailing the events of the past few days to Amethyst, who turned to Steven.

"We should probably go check out the temple. I want to make sure that jerk didn't break any of my junk."

"Can I come too?" Connie asked. She always enjoyed seeing magical things with Steven, even if they were somewhat dangerous.

"Sure," Steven replied. He turned to his dad. "You should come. We could use your help."

Greg rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the trio. "I think I better stay and clean up the car wash. Besides, I don't know much about gem stuff. I'd probably get in the way." Steven gave his dad a nod before turning and walking out of the tent. Amethyst and Connie looked at one another before following Steven, leaving Greg alone in the makeshift dwelling.

Outside the tent, Steven was waiting for Connie and Amethyst. When they exited the tent, Steven smiled at them, and the three began walking side-by-side towards the ruins of Steven's house.

As they walked, Steven turned his attention to Amethyst, who was preoccupied by the state of the temple. "Amethyst?" Steven began. The purple gem looked at him, noticing the look of concern on his face.

"Do you think (cough) the gem is gone? What did it want with us?"

Amethyst sighed. She had been wondering the same thing. "I don't know." she answered. "But I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of it."

The trio stopped in front of the remains of the beach house, which had been crushed by the temple's head.

"Uh, how are we going to get to the temple with that in the way?" Steven asked. He and Connie moved towards the rubble and began to look for a way inside. Amethyst stayed where she was, looking at the massive pile of wood and rock. Once again, she did not have a good answer for his question. Amethyst really wished that Garnet was here. Sugilite would be able to move the rubble without breaking a sweat. Alone, Amethyst didn't think she could move this much rock, even if she shape-shifted.

At that moment, someone behind her let out an exasperated sigh.

"Oooh, look at this mess! The face of the temple fell off! And Steven's room got crushed. I hope that the warp pad is still operational."

Amethyst whirled around to see Pearl standing behind her, looking up at the faceless temple.

"Yo, P!" Amethyst exclaimed.

Pearl looked down and saw Amethyst was right in front of her. She had been so preoccupied with the damage to the temple that she hadn't noticed the purple gem.

"Amethyst, there you are. Have you seen Steven? I can't find him anywhere."

"He and Connie are looking to see if they can get into the temple. We can't get past this hunk of rock." As if on cue, the pair in question appeared from behind the massive pile of debris.

"There's no way to get inside," Connie stated as she and Steven walked towards Amethyst. Steven, who had been focused on what Connie had to say, gasped when he say the white gem beside Amethyst. He broke out into a wide smile.

"Pearl!"

Pearl turned towards her wounded charge, and gasped. "Steven!" She rushed over and picked him up. "Oh no! Are you okay! Oh, we should have never let you stay and fight. That gem was way too dangerous! You should have left with the other humans. And look at you now! Does anything hurt? Can you see clearly? We need to get you to a doctor! I swear if that..."

"Pearl!" Steven cut her off before giving her warm smile. "I'm fine. Really. Connie's mom already patched me up. I'll be okay (cough)." Pearl gave him a concerned look before putting him down. She looked at the pile of rubble in front of her.

"Alright," she began, "we need to find a way inside the temple."

"Okay," Steven responded. "How about Connie and I keep looking around the left side of the rubble…while you and (cough) Amethyst go around the other side, so we can cover more ground. Pearl and Amethyst nodded and started walking towards the other side of the temple. Steven looked at Connie, who gave him a nod, and the pair resumed their search.

Pearl and Amethyst walked around the temple for a few minutes before Pearl stopped and examined a certain spot in the rubble.

"If we exert enough force to this exact point," Pearl stated, motioning to a small indentation in the rock, "we might be able to create an opening." Both gems summoned their weapons and, at Pearl's signal, stuck the spot with remarkable force. However, the combined might of the two gem warriors did little more than chip the rock face.

"Nice try, P," Amethyst said sarcastically. Pearl shot her a dirty look before continuing her search.

An hour later, Connie and Steven still hadn't found a way inside. The gems had given up their search as hopeless a while earlier, and decided to head back to the tent in order to discuss their current situation. Connie and Steven continued to scour the side of the temple, looking high and low for any sign of a weak point in the rock. Connie had even climbed on top of some of the wreckage to search for openings; this also proved to be futile. Steven wanted to conduct a more thorough search of the rubble, but Connie dissuaded him. She doubted that they would find anything, and didn't want to risk Steven injuring himself further. Instead, the pair decided to go find the gems and report their lack of progress.

The two walked leisurely down the beach, Connie a few paces ahead of Steven, talking and joking about various shows and books.

"Yeah!" Steven said. "I've watched a few episodes of Canine Court, but not many (cough). Sadie really loves the show, though."

"I watch the new episodes when they air," Connie continued. "Still, it's not nearly as good as Under the Knife. I can't wait for the season premiere next week! Can I come over and watch it?" Steven didn't respond.

"Steven?"

Connie turned around to find Steven collapsed in the sand.


	9. Deadly Situations

Deadly Situations

The discussion taking place in Greg's tent was loud enough to be heard across the beach. Earlier, Amethyst and Pearl had decided to hold a strategy session to decide whether or not to begin searching for the evil gem. The two gems came to a disagreement regarding how to proceed given their current situation. As a result, the meeting had quickly devolved into a shouting match between Amethyst and Pearl.

"Why can't we go fight? I can handle myself, and the gem is probably off doing who-knows-what! We need to catch it by surprise!" Amethyst shouted, her anger reaching a boiling point.

"It won't work, Amethyst," Pearl retorted sharply. "The gem is way stronger than us. Besides, we don't have Garnet, and Steven is hurt. I say we stay here and protect the humans."

"And I say we go!" Amethyst responded. Pearl let out a frustrated sigh at her comrade's obstinacy. The white gem was about to retort when Connie burst into the tent, panting, a wild look in her eyes.

"Guys," she began, "there's something wrong with Steven!" Without hesitation, the two gems jumped up and began to follow Connie back to where Steven had collapsed.

As the trio ran up the beach, Amethyst and Pearl exchanged concerned looks. They were both frightened by the sudden turn of events. Pearl hoped that the issue wasn't serious. Maybe Steven had merely overexerted himself. However, when the group reached the injured boy, any hopeful thoughts that had been running through her mind vanished. Pearl knew something was horribly wrong.

Steven was unconscious, curled up on the sand. He shifted slightly and let out a pained groan, causing his friends' worry to deepen. Connie knelt down beside him and looked him over. The boy had a pained look on his face, and was shivering and sweating. Connie looked up at the gems, who had temporarily forgotten their dispute. Pearl looked at Amethyst, and then down at Connie and Steven.

"Amethyst, get Steven back to the tent. I'm going to go see if I can find something to help him." Amethyst nodded. Though she didn't like taking orders from Pearl, Steven's safety came first. The purple gem scooped up the unconscious boy before taking off back down the beach.

"I'm going to go find Greg," Connie stated, a determined look in her eyes. She wasn't sure what was wrong with Steven, but it seemed serious. Pearl looked down at the girl and nodded in acknowledgement. The two set about completing their self-assigned objectives.

Fortunately for Connie, Greg was already on his way towards the beach. He had left an important tool in his van, and had left the car wash to go retrieve it. He was sauntering towards the waterfront, whistling a happy tune when Connie barreled into him.

"Whoa, kiddo" Greg said, helping Connie off of the ground. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"I was looking for you," Connie replied. "Something happened to Steven!"

Greg felt his heart stop.

"What's wrong with him?" he queried, fear evident in his tone.

"I-I don't know!" Connie responded, looking up at Greg. "He just collapsed. Come on!"

The pair turned and began sprinting towards the tent.

Back at the tent, Amethyst had laid Steven on the mattress and covered him with the blanket. He was shifting around fitfully, almost as if he was having a nightmare. Amethyst was really worried about her young charge. The uncertainty of the situation unnerved her. Steven had been doing so well earlier; just a few hours ago, he had been walking around and acting like his usual, energetic self. Amethyst just didn't understand what could have caused the sudden degeneration of the young gem's health. What could have happened?

The purple gem's train of thought was interrupted when Connie entered the tent, followed by Greg. Greg looked down at his son and winced. He didn't understand how this could be. Greg moved over to Steven and put a hand on his forehead. Much to his dismay, Steven's fever had returned much worse than before. Greg had a feeling that his son's condition would only get worse. Greg took his hand off of Steven's forehead and turned to look at Amethyst, who was staring at Steven with a look of concern and confusion on her face. Greg guessed that she was wondering the same thing he was.

"What could be causing this?" Greg asked Amethyst, motioning to his son. "Have you ever seen this before? Is this a gem thing?"

"Nope. That's what's worrying me." Amethyst let out a heavy sigh. "If only Garnet was here. She'd know what to do."

Connie knew that they needed help. No one in the tent knew much about medicine, and Steven looked awful. She quickly pulled out her cell phone and searched for her mom's number in her contacts.

"I'm gonna go call my mom," Connie stated. "She'll know what to do.. When no one responded, she walked outside the tent to place the call.

Her phone rang for a few seconds, her mom picked up. Connie quickly explained the situation to her mom. Though she couldn't make it to Beach City, Dr. Maheswaran wanted to make sure Steven was alright. She gave Connie some advice and instructions to help his condition before she was forced to hang up due to poor reception. Connie put her phone away and went back inside the tent. Inside, she found Amethyst and Greg silently sitting beside Steven.

"My mom says we should get a cold washcloth or an ice pack for his forehead. We need to try to keep his fever down."

At that moment, Pearl entered the tent. She looked somewhat tired, as if she had been running.

"Geez, where ya been?" Amethyst asked.

Pearl looked down at the group sitting on the floor of the tent for a few moments before taking a seat beside Steven. She sighed before responding to Amethyst's question.

"I was trying to find a way inside the temple again. I thought that if I could find a way inside, we might be able to take Steven to Rose's fountain to heal him. However, I couldn't find a way in. I can't reach the warp pad through the rubble." Pearl stopped and took a shuddering breath before putting her head in her hands.

"I just…don't know what to do. I don't know anything about human medicine. We don't know what caused his condition." And it seems to be getting worse."

All eyes in the room turned to Steven. He had stopped moving around, and his sleep appeared to be somewhat peaceful. Still, Pearl didn't know how long he would remain that way. After a few moments, Greg decided to speak up.

"Does anyone know what's wrong with him?" he asked. Pearl exchanged a concerned look with Amethyst before letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Unfortunately, no. I've never seen anything like it. Maybe it's a human disease of some sort."

"My mom said that she couldn't tell what it was from what I told her," Connie added.

The group fell silent for a few minutes. Though everyone wanted to help Steven, they didn't know what to do. This time, Steven broke the silence. He let out a small groan and turned over in his sleep. Connie moved to Steven's bedside and took his hand. She sat with him for a few minutes, before turning around and looking towards the entrance of the tent. It was beginning to get dark outside, and Connie knew she needed to get home.

"I think I need to get going," Connie stated. She looked at Steven one more time before getting up and walking to the entrance of the tent. She turned around and waved at Greg and the gems.

"Bye, Connie," Pearl said, worry still in her voice. Amethyst and Greg simultaneously gave the girl a thumbs-up. Connie flashed the pair a smile before turning and exiting the tent. After she left, no one in the tent moved for a few minutes. Finally, Amethyst looked around the tent before addressing Greg.

"How'd you get such a big tent, anyway?" Amethyst asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Greg gave the purple gem a halfhearted smile. "The others built it for me. I guess they were trying to be nice because they thought I had just lost my son. I thought I did, too." Greg looked down at Steven, who shifted in his sleep.

"Well," Amethyst began, "it's getting late. If you want, I can stay and keep an eye on Steven tonight."

"Nah," Greg replied, "I think I'd rather stay here tonight. He's my son, and I'm responsible for his safety."

As she watched this exchange, Pearl couldn't help but admire Greg's determination. The white gem cleared her throat.

"Still, I think it would be best if Amethyst and I stayed nearby. If the Homeworld gem comes back, or if Steven's condition worsens, it would be better to have us nearby. Greg looked at the purple gem before nodding in agreement. After taking a minute to make sure Steven was stable, the trio got up and left the tent.

Due to her concern over the sudden degeneration of Steven's health, Connie didn't sleep well that night. She decided to return to Beach City early the following morning. As she walked along the road towards the beach, Connie stared at the bag of medical supplies in her hand. Though her mom wasn't able to go to Beach City with her, she had given Connie some supplies to help care for Steven, and had taken the time to explain some basic medical techniques to Connie, such as how to create a splint.

As Connie walked through the city, she noticed that several stores had been restored to their former glory. The roads had been entirely cleared, and the residents were walking about and working on restorations. However, they all seemed unnaturally quiet, just as they had been when they first discovered Steven on the beach. Connie guessed that news of his condition had reached the other residents.

"Hey!"

Connie turned to see a blonde-haired woman walk up to her.

"Um, hello. You're…"

"Call me Sadie. You're Steven's friend, right? I worked at the donut shop. We met when you and he were trapped in some magic bubble."

Connie suddenly recognized the young woman in front of her, and blushed as memories of her first encounter with Steven surfaced. "Yeah, that was…interesting."

Sadie smiled at Connie's reaction.

"So, I just wanted to say thanks for all your help. You've been bringing us food and making sure that Steven gets better. I know this must be rough, and just wanted to let you know that everyone in town really appreciates what you've done."

Connie smiled and replied with a small "thanks."

"Also, I heard that something happened to Steven. When he wakes up, tell him I hope he feels better."

"I will," Connie replied, giving Sadie a nod. The two parted ways, and Connie quickened her pace, wanting to reach Steven as soon as possible. After a few more minutes of walking, she finally reached her destination. Connie took a deep breathe before entering the jury-rigged dwelling.

Inside the tent Greg, Amethyst, and Pearl were sitting around Steven's bedside silently. All three of them had concerned looks on their faces. They didn't even acknowledge Connie as she entered the tent. She could tell that something was really wrong. Connie looked down at Steven, and gasped.

Steven's condition had deteriorated further overnight. The color had drained from his cheeks, and he was sleeping fitfully. Even from a distance, Connie could tell that he was shivering profusely.

"What's wrong with him?" Connie asked fearfully.

"I don't know," Pearl replied, struggling to remain calm. "He just keeps getting worse. He's been sick before, but not like this! If we don't do something soon, he'll…" Pearl put her head in her hands.

Connie looked over at Greg, who was wringing his hands nervously, and then at Amethyst. The purple gem was staring at Steven, obviously lost in thought. The purple gem was just as confounded by the mysterious ailment afflicting Steven as Pearl. She hadn't been able to sleep the night before. Suddenly, a thought came to Amethyst. She looked over at Steven, and her eyes widened.

"Hey guys, what if it's his gem?"

Pearl looked over at Amethyst, and realized that she hadn't considered that his gem could have been damaged. Pearl moved over to Steven and lifted his shirt to get a better view of his gem. Her breathe hitched in her throat.


	10. What Are You Doing Here?

What Are You Doing Here?

Steven Universe let out a groan as he woke up slowly. The young gem felt stiff, as if he had been asleep for ages. He slowly stood up, yawned, and stretched out before looking around. He quickly realized that he had no idea where he was. As far as he could tell, he wasn't in Beach City. After looking around for another minute, Steven realized that he was on a grassy hill that seemed strangely familiar. The young gem decided to walk to the top of the hill in order to get a better view of his surroundings.

When he reached the top, Steven stopped and sat down on the edge of the cliff. The young boy squinted in the dim morning light, trying to see what lay in front of him. Much to his delight, the sun began to peek over the horizon. Steven sat and watched as the sky slowly became lighter. Finally, he was able to make out the land below, and realized where he was.

"I'm on mom's hill," he said to no one within earshot. "How did I get here? Hmm, I should probably go find the gems. They'll be able to explain what happened." Steven paused as an idea came to him."

"I should stop and get some doughnuts to surprise the gems! Maybe we can make a together breakfast!" Steven got up excitedly and turned on his heel to begin his walk back to town before stopping abruptly. Something seemed off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Steven brushed off the feeling and quickly made his way down the hill towards town.

When he reached the outskirts of Beach City, Steven stopped to catch his breathe. Though the sun was still rising, it was already somewhat warm outside. The heat made Steven feel tired, even though he had just woken up. The young gem resolved to stop when he reached the Big Donut. They always had refreshing drinks there; he could order a soda or something. That would cool him down. Invigorated by the prospect of getting a cold drink and a delicious doughnut, Steven continued his trek towards his favorite shop.

As he walked along the street, Steven took the time to admire his hometown. He always enjoyed walking around Beach City and meeting all of his friends. Everyone was always extremely nice to him. The gems were always supportive of him, and Lars and Sadie were really nice, and the cool kids often invited him when they went to…

Steven's train of thought was interrupted when he realized that one of the cool kids in question, Sour Cream, was walking right towards him. Steven slowed down and waved at his friend.

"Hey, Sour Cream!" Nice to see you!

Sour Cream abruptly froze. He looked over at Steven, and his eyes went wide.

"That party you DJ'd the other night was awesome! Thanks for inviting me!" Steven stopped when he noticed Sour Cream's unusual behavior.

"Are you okay?" Steven asked. He began to walk towards Sour Cream.

Much to his dismay, the white-haired teen began to back away from the friendly boy. As Steven continued to approach the teen, Sour Cream's behavior became increasingly strange. Finally, the white-haired teen simply turned and took off running, sprinting back into town. Steven stopped for a few minutes, trying to understand what he had just witnessed. He briefly wondered if he had accidentally shape-shifted into something terrifying. Maybe his gem was cracked, and he had turned into a gem monster.

Steven lifted up his shirt to inspect his gem. Much to his relief, the pink stone in his navel was in flawless condition. Turning, Steven walked up to one of the storefronts and looked at his reflection in the window. Once again, he looked absolutely normal. Well, his hair was a bit messy, on account of him having just woken up, but Steven didn't think his bedhead was enough to send Sour Cream fleeing in terror. Suddenly beginning to feel drained from the heat, Steven renewed his quest towards the Big Donut.

As Steven strolled down the boardwalk, he noticed that many of the residents were acting oddly. Many of his friends gave him strange or fearful looks as he passed. Whenever Steven tried to wave at someone, they would quicken their pace or act abnormally like Sour Cream. If he tried to talk to anyone, they ran away. Steven found the uncharacteristic behavior of everyone in Beach City very unnerving. At one point, he stopped to see if he could get some fry bits from Peedee. When the blonde boy saw Steven coming, he quickly moved away from the counter and hid somewhere in the back. Steven knew that it often frustrated Peedee when he asked for fry bits, but his friend had never outright refused to serve him.

Steven wondered if he had inadvertently angered everyone in Beach City. Did he accidentally blow something up? He knew he did that sometimes. Still, who could blame him? He was the bomb! Steven chuckled lightly at his own joke before continuing towards his favorite doughnut shop. As Steven walked along the boardwalk, he began to contemplate the current situation. He briefly questioned how he ended up on the hill in the first place. Steven didn't remember hiking all the way there. He wondered if Lion had maybe taken him up to the hill, and he had fallen asleep.. Still, if that was the case, then where had Lion disappeared to? And why didn't he remember any of it? Steven was also confused by the strange behavior of the residents. The young boy wondered if the unusual behavior had been caused by exposure to some sort of gem magic. If so, he needed to go speak to Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. They would know what to do.

That is, of course, after he got some doughnuts.

Steven stopped again to catch his breath. He had no idea why it was so hot outside. It was never this hot this time of year. Steven recovered, and quickened his pace. Finally, the young boy reached the Big Donut. Glad to be back at his favorite shop, Steven opened the door, smiling as he heard the familiar _ring-ding_ of the small bell attached to it. Steven noticed that there was only one person at the counter.

"Hey, Lars!"

The teen in question turned around to face the young gem. When Lars realized who had just addressed him, he dropped the doughnuts he was holding and gasped.

"Um," Steven began, "can I please get three chocolate je…"

"Ah!" Lars cried. "Please don't hurt me! I know I was a real jerk! I'm so sorry! Really!  
P-p-please just don't hurt me!" At that, the teen frantically scrambled out the back door of the shop before the young gem could respond.

Steven looked down at the floor, both concerned and disappointed.

"I only wanted a doughnut," he stated sadly. At that, Steven left his favorite shop empty-handed. When he got outside, he noticed someone across the street. Steven's smile returned, and he ran over to the individual.

"Hey, dad!" Steven said, smiling widely and waving. His father looked up at the boy, and a weary look crossed his features. Greg rubbed his eyes and blinked before looking at Steven again. A sad look came to his eyes.

"They were right. I really need to see someone about this," Greg said to himself. "The nightmares are bad enough, but now I'm seeing things during the day. What's happening to me?"

"Dad? Dad? Daaad?" When Greg didn't respond, Steven became really scared. He didn't understand what was going on. Steven turned and began running towards the beach. Maybe the gems would talk to him. They would be able to help him fix this. Steven really hoped that whatever magic had affected the other residents wasn't dangerous. Maybe it was some sort of gem mind control. Steven kept running towards the beach, barely noticing the tremendous heat of the day and the terrified citizens he passed.

Finally, Steven reached the edge of the beach. He stopped abruptly, and looked around the sand.

"Huh?"

Steven stared, wide-eyed, at the spot his house had previously occupied. The structure had vanished entirely; not even a single piece of his room remained. The entrance to the temple was open, as it had been before he had been born. Even from where he stood, Steven could make out the warp pad situated in the middle of the temple. He wondered if the gems were in the temple right now. If they were, Steven urgently needed to find them. Whatever was going on, Steven was really scared. Steven panted for a few seconds and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Steven could swear that it was getting hotter by the minute. Steven began to quickly make his way towards the temple.

As he jogged up to the former location of his home, the events of the past few hours ran through his mind. He thought about how he had woken up in an unfamiliar spot without any recollection of how he had gotten there in the first place. He thought about the unusual behavior of his friends and family members, especially how Peedee and Lars had treated him. The way his friends had run away from him still worried Steven. After jogging for another minute, Steven reached the magical door that served as the entrance to the temple. Steven knocked on the door, hoping that one of the gems would answer.

"Garnet! Amethyst! Pearl! It's me, Steven!"

After a few minutes of waiting, Steven realized that no one was home. He turned around and stopped, staring out at the beach. He noticed multiple shapes further down the beach that he hadn't seen before. Determined to find out what they were, Steven began to jog back down towards the mysterious forms in the sand, struggling in the blazing heat of the sun.

As the objects came into view, Steven's pace slowed. As the young gem walked through the sand, he looked around at the numerous tents scattered around the beach. He wondered where they came from and why they had been constructed. Steven briefly considered whether or not to go inside some of makeshift dwellings before his curiosity got the better of him. Steven went in and out of the many tents, searching for other humans or the gems, but found that the structures were empty. As he was about to give up his search as a lost cause, Steven heard multiple familiar voices coming from the largest tent. He slowly walked towards the entrance of the tent and stopped, listening to the conversation inside.

"…comes back, we need to make sure the other humans are safe," he heard Pearl say

"But for how long? Once they reactivate the kindergarten, the earth will be destroyed. It doesn't matter how far away the humans run," Amethyst responded

Garnet spoke up. "That's why we need to stop them here. If we don't, everyone will be killed, including us."

Steven stepped inside the tent, only to find that it was also deserted. Now thoroughly spooked, Steven walked back out of the tent and looked around. He was about to leave the beach when something else caught his attention. He noticed what appeared to be a small stone by the water, surrounded with various objects and flowers. Steven slowly began to approach the object.

When he reached the small stone, he noticed that it was polished and carved. Looking at the objects scattered around it, he noticed that some of the objects had belonged to him; he even found his ukulele resting against the rock. Steven walked around the stone for a few seconds before stopping. He realized that something was inscribed on the side of the rock facing the water, and knelt down to read it. The young gem's blood ran cold.

_In Loving Memory of Steven Quartz Universe_

_Guardian of Humanity_

_Member of the Crystal Gems_

_A Kind Friend and Loving Son_

Suddenly, Steven felt unaccountably drained by the blazing heat. He tried to stand up again, only to fall face-first into the sand. The young gem continued to claw at the burning sand in a vain attempt to get up.

* * *

A word from the author:

Hello again, everyone! I just wanted to take a minute to thank you all for your continued support of this fanfiction. Since my last message (back in chapter four), readership of this story has grown exponentially. I hope you are enjoying the story so far! I would like to thank my beta reader, Trekkie with Vigilence, for your help and support. I would also like to thank all my followers and anyone who favorited or reviewed. Please don't forget to leave reviews; I greatly value feedback. Thank you again!

-Lotus


	11. I Don't See It

I Don't See It

Pearl quietly paced around the dark tent, her mind aglow with countless concerns and unanswered questions. She was plagued by feelings of helplessness and uncertainty. Pearl couldn't stand knowing that a dangerous gem was likely in the process of destroying the planet, and all she could do without access to a warp pad would be to sit here and wait for Garnet to regenerate. She loathed knowing that Steven was slowly dying, and there was no way to save him.

Pearl looked down at the young gem. Steven was lying on the mattress, covered in blankets, a few washcloths and a bowl of cold water beside his makeshift bed. The boy was sleeping fitfully, as if he was having a nightmare. Pearl had already made several attempts to wake him, but to no avail. Since he had collapsed two days ago, Steven's fever had worsened significantly. Pearl grabbed one of the washcloths, dipped it in the bowl, and carefully placed it on Steven's forehead. Steven emitted a small groan and shifted under the blankets.

Pearl remembered back to two days ago, when Amethyst had pointed out that Steven's gem might be the cause of the sudden deterioration of his health. When Pearl had lifted his shirt to inspect his gem, she had been met with a gruesome sight. The pink gem in Steven's navel had many cracks running through it. The pentagonal facet had fractured, splitting into what must have been twenty different sections. The jagged lines that crossed the small stone reminded Pearl of other Crystal Gems who had fallen in battle during the war. She recalled staring silently at the broken gemstone in disbelief. She couldn't believe this was happening. There was no way Rose's gem could have been damaged. It wasn't possible! When Pearl had looked around the tent, all eyes had been focused on the shattered gemstone embedded in Steven's navel.

At that point, Pearl had lost her composure, rambling frantically about the futility of their situation and their impending demise. Amethyst had quickly confronted Pearl and urged her to calm down. Though she was frustrating, immature, messy, and stubborn, Amethyst often managed to keep a level head during stressful situations, something Pearl admired about the purple gem. Pearl had decided to exit the tent, leaving Greg, Connie, and Amethyst with the injured boy.

Yesterday, Connie had brought her mother to check on Steven. After taking Steven's temperature and examining his injuries, Dr. Maheswaran had expressed that she had rarely seen anyone with such a high fever, and couldn't understand the cause. The stress of the situation taking its toll, Pearl had been sorely tempted to yell at the doctor for wasting her time. She already knew that Steven was in terrible shape. And she knew the cause of Steven's condition: the damage to his gem. Dr. Maheswaran had suggested that the gems take Steven to a hospital, however Pearl knew that they couldn't save Steven by taking to a human doctor. No, that would only be a waste of precious time. As Steven's gem was cracked, the only way to repair it was to take him to Rose's spring. Unfortunately, the warp pad in the temple was trapped under the rubble, and the one on the temple's arm was destroyed during the attack.

Pearl stood up, gathering her thoughts, and began to pace around the tent. She had absolutely no idea what to do. She had been trying to formulate a plan for the past few days, but her efforts had proven futile. No matter what she tried, Pearl just couldn't get into the temple. She and Amethyst had even tried fusing into Opal, but the powerful fusion gem's attacks weren't able to clear a way to the warp pad. The only way Pearl could think of to get into the temple was Sugilite. However, that meant they needed Garnet, and Pearl had no idea when Ruby and Sapphire would regenerate. To make matters worse, Steven's condition was quickly worsening. Pearl looked down at the badly injured boy lying in the middle of the tent. The situation felt hopeless. Pearl couldn't fathom how she would feel if Steven didn't to make it. Pearl was utterly frazzled. The Homeworld gem was going to complete her mission before they could access the warp pad.

The Homeworld gems were going to invade again. The world was going to end. She and the other Crystal Gems were going to die.

Pearl wiped the tears from her eyes. Being careful not to disturb Steven, the pale gem quietly made her way out of the tent. She exited the structure, looking up at the countless luminous stars. Somewhere up there, evil gems were plotting to kill them, and Pearl had no idea how they were going to survive the second invasion. Pearl walked down to the edge of the beach and sat down, staring out at the crashing waves, lost in thought. If only Rose were still alive. She always had a plan. But she's gone. And Steven would soon join her. Pearl stared out over the ocean, watching the ebb and flow of the tide.

After a few minutes, Pearl heard someone approaching her from behind. Reaching up to summon her spear, Pearl whirled around, only to find a small, red gem looking up at her with a concerned look on her face.

"Oh. Ruby. I'm so glad you're here."

Ruby nodded in response, her mind clearly preoccupied.

"Where is Sapphire? Has she also regenerated?"

"No," Ruby replied, showing Pearl the small, blue gemstone she had in her hand. The red gem walked over and sat down next to Pearl, gently placing Sapphire's gemstone on the sand beside her.

"Have you seen Amethyst or Steven?" Ruby inquired.

"Amethyst is sleeping in Greg's van," Pearl replied nonchalantly. "As for Steven…" Pearl sighed.

"What?" Ruby queried, unnerved by Pearl's sudden silence.

"…He was hurt by the gem that attacked us. He's been unconscious and running fever for a couple days now. His gem is cracked."

"What?!" Ruby stood up and looked at Pearl with fear in her eyes. "Where is he?"

"He's in the large tent over there." Pearl turned and pointed towards Steven's tent. Ruby quickly picked up Sapphire's gem and began to jog towards the tent. Looking out at the ocean one final time, Pearl slowly got up and began to make her way back towards the tent. When she arrived, she found Ruby kneeling beside Steven.

"We should have seen this coming," Ruby stated sadly, looking down at the blue gem in her hands. "We should have seen that Steven was going to get hurt. We should have been there to protect him."

Pearl looked over at Steven, who had rolled over in his sleep, causing the washcloth to fall onto the floor of the tent.

"It's not your fault. There's no way you…Garnet…could have saved him."

"No!" Ruby retorted. "We knew it would be dangerous. But we knew that we would need Steven's abilities to win. It's our fault he got hurt."

Pearl gave Ruby a sympathetic look. She moved over to Steven and placed another wet washcloth on his forehead.

"Amethyst and I are also responsible for Steven getting hurt. We should have been more careful. Now we need to make sure that we get him to Rose's fountain."

"Why don't we take him right now?" Ruby asked.

"Because we can't reach the warp pad. It's covered in debris."

"Oh." Ruby looked down at Steven. She couldn't help but feel that she had let the young gem down, especially after he had freed them from the gem warship during the first attack on Beach City.

Suddenly, the pair realized that it was beginning to get light outside. Ruby and Pearl looked down at Steven, then at one another. Pearl motioned Ruby to follow her, and the two gems quietly left the tent.

As the two exited the jury-rigged structure, they ran into Amethyst, who had been slowly strolling towards Steven's tent.

"Oh, hey Ruby! Where's Sapphire?" Ruby quickly greeted Amethyst and showed her the blue gemstone she was carrying.

"Ugh," Ruby exclaimed, "I'm tired of sitting around and doing nothing. I'm gonna go see if I can get into the temple." Amethyst and Pearl nodded, and the red gem turned and began to jog towards the temple. Amethyst and Pearl briefly exchanged greetings before heading back to Steven's tent. On the way, Amethyst look over at Pearl, who was visibly distressed by their current situation, and decided to try and cheer her comrade up.

"So…Ruby's back. Isn't that great! All we need is Sapphire and wham! We can get into the temple and heal Steven. No problem."

Pearl sighed. "But we don't know when Sapphire will regenerate, or how long Steven will last with his gem damaged. Even if we do manage to heal him, we still have to find the Homeworld gem before she causes any more damage."

When the pair entered the tent, they found Greg awake, checking Steven's temperature. He looked up at the two gems and gave a half-hearted smile.

"Hey guys."

"Amethyst waved at her old friend. "Hey, Greg. How's he doing?"

Greg's expression darkened. "Not well, his fever just keeps getting worse. Are you sure there's no other way to fix whatever happened to his gem?"

"No," Pearl replied sadly. "The only way to fix his gem is to get him to the fountain. And the only way to reach it is by using the warp pad. We'll have to wait until Sapphire regenerates and fuses with Ruby. We need Garnet."

Greg looked down at his dying son.

"Hang in there, buddy. We'll get you some help soon. I promise."

Amethyst walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, man. Garnet'll be back before you know it," Amethyst stated, her nonchalant tone belying her concern. In reality, Amethyst was also beginning to doubt if Steven was going to make it.

"We just have to wait," Pearl added.

"No," a voice replied. "We need to go. Now."

The trio turned to find Garnet standing in the doorway. The tall gem adjusted her shades, looked down at Steven, and then up at Amethyst.

"Garnet! Thank heavens!" Pearl exclaimed. "I was so worried. Steven's fever has been getting worse and worse and we can't get into the temple and I don't know…"

"Pearl, calm down." Garnet stated, cutting off the pale gem. "Amethyst, we need to fuse and clear the debris. Pearl, bring Steven."

Amethyst quickly followed Garnet out of the tent. Pearl carefully picked up Steven before exiting the dwelling. Greg briefly considered following them, but decided against it. He knew he would only get in the way.

Pearl quickly made her way towards the temple, cradling the injured boy in her arms. When she arrived at the pile of debris that had once been Steven's room, Pearl found Amethyst and Garnet dancing. Within seconds, the two gems merged. Pearl looked up at the titanic fusion, who was staring at the pile of debris. Sugilite quickly summoned her massive flail, and began to spin it. Without warning, she swung the weapon at the pile of rubble, sending rock, wood, glass, and sand flying in all directions. When the dust cleared, Pearl realized that the entrance to the temple had been cleared, and quickly sprinted over to the warp pad, holding Steven. Amethyst and Garnet promptly unfused before joining Pearl on the warp pad. Pearl had never seen the two maintain control when fused. She guessed that her comrades' desire to save Steven had allowed them to focus. Pearl took a deep breath, and the warp pad activated, teleporting the trio in a flash of light.

In the warp, Pearl let out a sigh of relief.

"This is great! All we have to do is get Steven into the fountain!"

"Yeah!" Amethyst chimed in. "Finally, something went right for a change."

"Don't let your guard down," Garnet stated coolly. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Pearl looked down at the young gem in her arms and smiled. The pale gem looked up at her leader. "Oh, Garnet. What could possibly go wro…"

Pearl's statement was cut short as the trio arrived at their destination. The three gems didn't leave the warp pad. They simply stared, wide-eyed, at the horrifying scene before them. Pearl let out a gasp, her mind buzzing as she looked out at what had once been Rose's most precious sanctuary.


	12. You're Too Important

You're Too Important

The three gems stared out at the ruins of Rose's healing spring, unmoving. After a few seconds, Garnet quickly summoned her gauntlets and stepped off the warp pad. The tall gem proceeded slowly, looking around at the rubble for anything that appeared to be threatening. Garnet noticed that vines had once again overtaken the majority of the rubble, covering them in dense foliage. The red gem turned and motioned for the other gems to follow her. Amethyst and Pearl looked at one another nervously before following their leader. Feeling very unsettled by the situation, Amethyst pulled her whip from her gem and took up the rear of the procession, looking around for any sign of danger. Pearl tried desperately to maintain her composure, holding Steven closer to her. After a few minutes of exploring, Garnet motioned for the other gems to stop. Seeing her signal, Amethyst and Pearl came to a halt.

Amethyst looked over at Steven, and then up at Garnet. She had no idea what could have caused so much damage in such a short time, but guessed that the Homeworld gem was responsible.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked, unsure of how they should proceed.

"It's no use!" Pearl exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes. "Rose's fountain is gone! There's nothing we can do save Steven. It's hopeless!" At that, the pale gem burst into sobs.

"Pearl!" Garnet exclaimed harshly. "Pull yourself together!"

"Pearl froze, staring at the stoic gem, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"G-Garnet, how could you be so…calm right now?" Pearl stuttered. "Rose's fountain has been destroyed, and Steven's gem is cracked. How are you not worried?"

"I'm very worried about Steven. But we need to remain calm. We need to be strong and work together. It's our only hope of saving him." Pearl looked at Garnet for a few seconds before nodding and wiping her eyes.

Amethyst allowed her whip to vanish. "So…you have a plan?" the purple gem inquired.

"Yes," Garnet replied. "Though the outside of the fountain was destroyed, there's a chance that whatever did this didn't destroy the pool itself. There could be some of Rose's essence left in the fountain. If we can find a way inside, we might be able to heal Steven.

"So…you and I fuse and bust our way through?" Amethyst offered.

"No," Garnet replied, "that won't work. If we form Sugilite, we might destroy the fountain entirely. We need to be careful. Pearl, you and Amethyst should fuse. Opal could probably get through."

Amethyst and Pearl looked at one another and nodded. Pearl walked over to the remains of a stone wall. Being as careful as possible, the pale gem knelt down and propped Steven against the wall, making sure that he wouldn't fall over. After looking at the injured boy for a moment, Pearl stood and walked back to Amethyst. The two gems stood facing each other. Without warning, the pair began dancing, preparing to fuse into Opal.

As the two danced, they moved closer to one another. Pearl pirouetted, but tripped, interrupting the dance and causing her to fall flat on her face. Pearl turned to see a vine coiling itself around her leg. Without hesitation, Pearl summoned her spear and severed the creeping tendril. At that, more vines sprang from the rocks, lashing out at the trio.

"What did you do?!" Amethyst yelled as she re-summoned her weapon and dodged an incoming vine.

"I don't know!" Pearl responded, frantically slicing at the vines, which seemed to be growing in number. "We can't fight these things. We need to get Steven out of here."

Garnet glanced over at the young gem leaning against the wall. At this rate, the vines were going to overwhelm them in a matter of minutes. If that happened, Garnet knew that they would have no hope of saving Steven in time. With extreme reluctance, the tall gem unfused into Ruby and Sapphire in a desperate attempt to save the unconscious boy.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Sapphire asked her companion.

"Yeah!" Ruby replied, struggling with several vines. "Just get him away from here. Amethyst, Pearl, and I will catch up with you."

Sapphire nodded before getting to her feet and dashing towards Steven, narrowly avoiding several lashing vines. Sapphire quickly stopped to pick up the young gem before sprinting away as quickly as she could, not daring to look back."

After running for a minute, Sapphire stopped to gather her wits. The vines nearby didn't seem to be aggressive, but she needed to remain on guard for anything suspicious. The blue gem looked at the boy she was carrying, before looking around at the rubble. She needed to find a way to the fountain. After looking for a few seconds, Sapphire failed to see anything that resembled an entrance, and continued her run around the perimeter of the ruins.

After running for another couple of minutes, Sapphire paused. The gem walked over to a pile of rubble and knelt down. Sure enough, there was a gap that looked large enough for her and Steven to fit through. Sapphire carefully helped Steven through the crevice. Sapphire didn't know if the dark, rocky fissure would lead to the fountain, but knew that it was Steven's only hope. Taking a deep breathe, the blue gem entered the dark tunnel, holding Steven close.

As Sapphire crawled through the tunnel with Steven in tow, she listened carefully for anything that could be dangerous. Much to her relief, the only sound she could hear was Steven's belabored breathing. The young gem didn't sound well. Sapphire knew he didn't have much time left. Looking up, the blue gem saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

Emerging from the crevice, Sapphire found herself standing at the edge of Rose's fountain. The ancient sanctuary was in terrible disrepair. The statue of Rose had been destroyed; all that remained of the once proud monument were several chunks of jagged stone. The basin itself had also been damaged, and Sapphire doubted that there was anything left of Rose's tears. Peering down into the bottom of the fountain, Sapphire looked around for several seconds before gasping. At the very bottom of the basin, she could make out something glistening in a small crack in the stone.

Being careful not to hurt Steven, who's breathing had become even more erratic, Sapphire slid down into the bottom of the fountain, walked up to the small, shining fissure, and knelt down. Much to her relief, the shining substance was liquid: Rose's tears. The blue gem carefully put Steven down and lifted up the bottom of his shirt, exposing his damaged gem. The blue gem then undertook extracting the magical liquid from the crevice with her hands. After several attempts, Sapphire managed to cup a few drops of Rose's lacrimal essence into her hands. She turned to Steven's prone form and let the few drops she managed to accumulate drip onto his cracked gem. Sapphire then pulled his shirt back down and waited for the boy's gem to regenerate.

Nothing happened.

After a few seconds, Sapphire became worried. Rose's essence had always been able to heal any injury or gem. She couldn't understand why Steven's gem wasn't regenerating. The blue gem looked up at what once had been Rose's statue.

Had they been too late?

A small cough drew Sapphire's attention back to Steven. The gem watched as the young boy opened his eyes slowly, blinked, and looked up at her.

"Sapphire? Where am I? Where's Ruby? Where are Amethyst and Pearl and dad and Connie?"

"Steven, you're okay!" Sapphire stated, letting out a sigh of relief. "We're at Rose's fountain. It's been destroyed, but I was able to get some of her tears to heal you. Ruby, Amethyst and Pearl are fighting some magic vines. We should go."

The blue gem helped Steven to his feet. Looking up at the remnants of his mother's statue, Steven became saddened, tearing up. He lifted his shirt briefly to get a better look at his gem. Much to his relief, the pink stone in his navel was in immaculate condition. However, much to the young boy's dismay, none of his other injuries had healed.

"Why am I still hurt?" the young gem inquired. "Don't mom's tears heal everything?"

Sapphire turned towards the perplexed boy. "I don't know. I think there was only enough to heal your gem. Now, come on." Without warning, the blue gem grabbed Steven's good arm and began to lead him out of the fountain.

Elsewhere, Ruby, Amethyst, and Pearl were having a very difficult time. The vines had been continuously attacking them since Sapphire had left with Steven, and they were beginning to wear out. The creeping vines had surrounded the trio, preventing their escape.

"How are we going to get out of this one?" Pearl yelled, desperately hacking away at the ever-encroaching vines with her two spears. "These things just keep coming!"

Amethyst looked over at her comrade. Suddenly, an Idea came to the purple gem.

"Pearl, we need to fuse."

Pearl looked over at her comrade, who was busy fighting off vines with her whip.

"How are we going to complete the dance? It takes time to fuse.

Amethyst looked over at Ruby, who was struggling to break free of several vines that had entangled her, before turning her attention to an incoming vine.

"I don't know, P. Can't you distract them by making some holo-nerds or something?"

Pearl gave Amethyst an annoyed look before realizing that her suggestion might save them. Quickly jumping out of the reach of the vines, Pearl summoned multiple holo-pearls, which proceeded to draw spears and charge at the vines. Using the distraction to her advantage, Ruby broke free from the vines and quickly made her way over to Pearl. Amethyst quickly spin-dashed through several vines, and ran over to the other two. Not wanting to wait for the vines to finish off the holo-pearls, the trio quickly ran off towards the warp pad.

As the three ran forward, Ruby looked over at Amethyst and Pearl.

"We need to go back. We need to find Sapphire!"

As if to answer Ruby's concern, a blue shape barreled into the red gem, sending a salmon-colored object flying into Amethyst. Pearl turned and looked at the two piles of gems on the ground.

"Ruby!" Sapphire exclaimed. The two gems embraced and began to dance, quickly  
re-fusing into Garnet.

"Amethyst! Guys!" Steven yelled as Amethyst helped him to his feet. A big smile came to the young boy's face as he gave the purple gem a one-armed hug.

"Hey, buddy. Good to see ya," Amethyst replied, returning the hug.

"We should probably go," Garnet stated, looking at the creeping vines advancing towards the group. Without hesitation, Amethyst picked Steven up and began sprinting towards the warp pad. The gems ran as quickly as they could towards the warp pad, the botanical scourge following close behind. The group reached the warp pad, warping away just as the deadly tendrils reached them.

In the warp, the four breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Whew, that was close," Pearl said, unsummoning her spear. The pale gem turned towards Steven, who was adjusting the patch on his eye. "Steven, I'm so glad you're alright. You had me so worried. Don't ever scare me like that again! Why didn't you tell us your gem was cracked? You could have died!"

"I'm sorry, Pearl. I didn't think it would get so bad."

The warp suddenly ended, depositing the four gems back on the beach. Steven looked up at Garnet, who was staring out at the tents on the sand.

"So, what do we do now? Do you think the gem is still trying to do…whatever she was trying to do?" Steven asked.

Garnet looked down at the young gem, and grinned.

"First, you should go see Greg. I'm sure he's worried about you." Garnet adjusted her shades. "And yes, I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of the Homeworld gem."

"By the way, thanks for saving me Garnet."

Garnet picked up Steven and placed him on her shoulder. The red gem stood on the warp pad for a few minutes, looking into the tumultuous future ahead of them.


	13. Future Vision

Future Vision

Steven looked around at the other three gems standing on the warp pad before letting out a yawn. Despite having been asleep for the better part of the last week, the young gem felt weary from the events of the past few hours. Running from deadly magical plants was incredibly strenuous. Still, he was glad that his gem was repaired, and that he and the gems had managed to escape the aggressive vines. The young gem couldn't help but be upset at the destruction of his mom's fountain. Though he had never met her, Steven had felt her presence at the fountain, as if she had been watching over him.

Steven turned his attention back to Garnet, whose shoulder he was currently sitting on. The red gem seemed distant, as if something was on her mind.

"Hey Garnet. What'cha thinking about?" The tall gem looked over at the boy sitting on her shoulder, and smiled. Being careful not to touch his injured arm, Garnet picked Steven up and gently set him down on the warp pad before answering his question.

"What lies ahead of us, Steven."

Stars shone in Steven's eyes. "Are you using future vision?" the young gem inquired excitedly. "What do you see? What's the future look like?"

"Yes, Steven, I am. And I see many potential futures."

"Do you see any good futures?" Steven asked. "Will everything turn out okay?"

Garnet paused for a moment and adjusted her shades, carefully considering how to answer Steven's question. After a few seconds, the red gem responded.

"Everything will be fine as long as you're here." Garnet gave the young gem another grin. "Now, you should go find Greg and your friends."

"Okay," Steven replied before turning and taking off down the beach. Garnet watched as the young boy made his way to the group of tents in the sand.

The three remaining gems didn't move for another minute. Finally Pearl turned and looked up at her stoic leader.

"Did you really mean what you told Steven? Is everything really going to be okay?"

Garnet continued to look out over the beach and the group of tents.

"I don't know, Pearl."

Further down the beach, Steven was slowly making his way through the group of tents. As he strolled through the sand, Steven hummed the Cookie Cat jingle to himself. He was excited to see his dad again. The young boy hated making his friends worry, and was eager to let everyone know that he was better now. Or, at least, his gem was better. Overall, Steven's day had been fairly hectic.

"Man," Steven thought to himself, "I'd really like to take a nap right now. If only my room hadn't been destroyed. I wonder what happened to Sir Bearrington. Still, I should go find my friends first."

When Steven finally reached his tent, he stopped to catch his breathe. Excited to see his dad and Connie again, Steven smiled broadly and made his way into the makeshift structure, only to find it deserted. Steven looked around the empty dwelling, wondering where everyone had gone. After a minute, Steven realized that his dad was probably at the car wash. Looking around one more time to make sure he didn't leave anything he needed, the young gem turned to leave. As he exited the tent, he ran headlong into Lars, causing the two to fall into the sand. Landing on his injured arm, Steven sat up and rubbed it in an attempt to alleviate the pain.

"Hey watch where you're walking, you…" Lars began before realizing who he was talking to. Steven looked up at the frustrated teen, and stars appeared in his eyes.

"Lars! Hey!" Steven said exuberantly.

The teen looked over at the injured boy, and winced. Quickly, Lars got up and helped Steven to his feet.

"Hey, Steven, how's it hanging?"

"It's going well. We fixed my gem." Steven looked over at the boardwalk. "And it looks like you guys are fixing up the town."

Lars followed Steven's gaze, watching the residents work to repair the destroyed city.

"Yeah, we've been working on it. I've got nothing better to do, since I'm out of a job."

A sad expression came to Steven's face. "I'm sorry the Big Donut was destroyed. Maybe if I had done a better job protecting the town, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"It's no big deal," Lars replied, looking down at the sad boy. He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Steven. The kid had been through a lot in the past week. "We can fix the town. Everyone's just glad that you're not…ya know"

The pair stood in silence for a minute until Steven spoke up.

"So…how's Sadie?"

"She's doing okay," Lars replied, shifting his position. "She's been really worried about you." You should go find her and let her know you're cool."

Steven nodded in understanding.

"Okay, I will. Bye!"

At that, Steven turned and began walking briskly towards the boardwalk. Now he had another person to find. Not wanting to keep anyone worrying, Steven quickened his pace up the beach. Though he was shaken from his earlier near-death experiences with the magic vines and the crack in his gem, Steven still managed to reach the boardwalk in good time. Quickly shaking the sand out of his flip-flops, Steven looked around for any sign of his dad.

The town was in much better shape than it had been a few days ago. Many of the buildings had been mostly rebuilt. The rubble on the road had been fully cleared, and cars were driving through the town, carrying supplies and tools to the busy residents, who were working diligently to fix up their ruined city.

"Hey!" a voice called out. Steven turned to find Peedee behind the counter at Beach Citywalk Fries. Steven smiled at the sight of his friend, and he walked over to the window.

"Hey Peedee!"

"Hey Steven!" the blonde boy replied. "It's good to see you out and about. Wait here for a sec, okay?" At that Peedee disappeared into the shop. A minute later, he returned to the counter carrying a brown paper bag and handed it to Steven. The young gem looked inside the bag, and his smile widened.

"Fry bits? Thanks!" Steven grabbed a handful and shoved them in his mouth. It had been way too long since he had eaten fry bits. He could always count on Peedee.

"How's Ronaldo?" Steven asked. "I bet he was excited by all this weird stuff." Peedee turned around and looked into the back of the shop, where Ronaldo was busy typing away at his computer.

"Actually, he was pretty freaked out at first. He got over it though, and he's been working on his blog since we fixed up the shop."

Steven smiled again before turning and looking down the street.

"Well, I should get going. I need to go find dad and Connie and Sadie. See ya, Peedee!" Steven turned and began walking towards the car wash.

"Bye, Steven," Peedee replied, waving to the young gem.

As Steven made his way towards the car wash, he happily munched on the bag of fry bits and looked around at the residents, who were working to make repairs. It was heartening to see everyone working together to rebuild the city. Watching Beach City being restored gave Steven the feeling that everything was going to be okay. Of course, Steven knew that it was going to turn out alright. After all, that was what Garnet had told him.

Finally, Steven reached the driveway leading up to the car wash. Closing the bag of fry bits, Steven quickly jogged to the car wash. As he approached the structure, Steven could hear voices emanating from inside the carwash tunnel.

"…Yeah, violin has been going pretty well. Overall, my summer hadn't been very interesting up until this last week. All this magic stuff has been crazy. I hope Steven's alright."

"Yeah, me too. It's been pretty rough the last few days. No one had any idea that the gem was coming. I don't even think Garnet, Amethyst, or Pearl knew. Hey, could you hold this for a second? Thanks."

When Steven entered the tunnel, he found Connie helping his dad repair some of the equipment. The two were thoroughly focused on the task at hand; as a result, they failed to notice the young gem approaching them.

"Dad! Connie!"

The two turned to find Steven standing at the entrance to the carwash tunnel with a bright smile on his face, waving to them as he approached. Greg and Connie both immediately dropped what they were doing and ran over to the injured boy. Being careful not to hurt his arm, Connie pulled Steven into a big hug, which he returned to the best of his ability. Greg joined the group hug, and for a minute no one moved. Finally, Greg and Connie let go of Steven and backed up, looking him over. Connie looked Steven over. He seemed to be in much better health than he had been earlier that morning.

"You're back!" Connie exclaimed. "Did everything go well?"

"Yeah!" Steven responded. "I'm better now, I think," Steven said, looking down at his injured arm. "Well, at least my gem is."

"That's great, kiddo," Greg chimed in. "You had me worried."

"Sorry, dad," Steven replied.

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're safe." Greg turned and looked out of the carwash tunnel before returning his gaze to his son. "We were going to finish these repairs, and then go help the other take down some of the tents on the beach. Do you feel up to lending a hand?"

"Yeah!" Steven replied enthusiastically. Greg and Connie returned to fixing the wash, now joined by Steven. As the trio worked, they talked about the state of the town, Steven's recent harrowing adventure, and the new Dogcopter movie that was coming out. After half an hour, Greg closed the panel he was working on and put away his tools.

"That should do it," he said. "We'll have to test it when we get back."

"Let's go then," Connie chimed in. With that, the three began walking towards the beach.

As the trio strolled down the boardwalk, Connie and Greg detailed the events that had transpired while Steven was unconscious. Occasionally, Steven would interject or ask them to clarify something. The group stopped briefly at the Big Donut to see if Sadie was there, but she was nowhere to be found. After their detour, the group continued their trek towards the beach.

When they finally arrived at the edge of the beach, the trio was greeted by Kofi and Mr. Smiley, who were working to take down some of the tents. Some of the residents had managed to fix up their homes, and had moved away from the beach. Since the makeshift structures had been deserted, the residents had decided to deconstruct them and salvage the materials for use in restoring the town. After initial greetings were exchanged, the group got to working breaking down some of the structures.

After working for a few minutes, Steven was startled by a voice behind him.

"Yo, Stee-man! What's up?"

The young gem turned to find Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl watching the group as they worked.

"Hey, guys!" Steven said. "You wanna help us take these down? We could use the extra hands." Steven held up his injured arm. "I only have one to lend."

"No," Garnet responded. "Actually, we have something important we need to take care of. Do you know where the laser light cannons are?"

Steven stopped and thought about Garnet's question for a minute before shaking his head. "Nope. Do you think they were buried in the rubble?" the young gem asked.

"Actually," Greg started, getting up and wiping his hands off on his shirt, "I know where they are. After the last invasion, I moved them back into the storage shed. I didn't think we'd need them so soon. Steven and I will go get the van and grab them. We'll be back soon." Motioning for Steven to follow him, Greg began walking up the beach towards the car wash, closely followed by his injured son.

As the pair walked through the sand, Steven looked over at his dad. The young gem could tell that his dad was concerned by the gems' cryptic request.

"Are you okay, dad?" Steven inquired, a look of concern on his face.

"Yeah," Greg replied. "I'm just concerned about the gems needing the cannons. Why do you think they need them? Is the Homeworld gem coming back? Are we safe?"

Steven looked down at his sandals; he was wondering the same thing.

"I don't know, dad."


	14. Bad Gems

Bad Gems

Steven and Connie sat on the cool sand, quietly watching as Greg and Garnet carried the Quartizine Trio to the edge of the tents. After a few seconds, Garnet looked at Greg and said something Steven couldn't quite make out, and the two stopped for a second. Greg replied inaudibly to Garnet, and the two slowly began to turn the cannons to face the warp pad on the other end of the beach. After a minute, the pair slowly set down the guns next to the first laser light cannon, which had been carried to the beach earlier. Steven briefly regretted not being able to help the two out with carrying the laser light cannons to the beach.

Earlier, Steven and his dad had gone to the storage shed to retrieve the cannons. Upon reaching the shed, Steven had tried desperately to help his dad move the heavy weaponry; despite best efforts, the injured boy and his dad were unable to lift the cannons. After multiple attempts, Steven gave up and decided to go get Garnet to help.

Steven was broken out of his train of thought when Connie abruptly spoke up.

"Wow, Garnet sure is strong. That thing must weigh a ton." Steven looked over at his friend. He could tell something was bothering her.

"Yeah," the young gem replied, "she is. Hey, are you alright?" Connie looked over at Steven, who was staring at her with a concerned look on his face. The young girl sighed and looked down at the ocean, watching the waves crash against the shore.

"I'm…just a little worried. Do you know why the gems are setting up the cannons? Is the Homeworld gem coming back?"

Steven looked over at Garnet, who was talking to Amethyst and Pearl, before meeting Connie's gaze again.

"Um, I'm not sure…," Steven started. The young gem stood up and stretched. Turning to Connie, Steven extended his good hand to help her up.

"…but the gems probably have a plan. C'mon, Connie, let's go ask them," Steven suggested, flashing the worried girl a smile.

Feeling reassured by Steven's positive attitude, Connie stared up at him for a few seconds before smiling and taking his hand. Steven quickly helped her up, and the pair made their way over to the gems, who were talking among themselves.

"Hey guys!" Steven yelled as the pair approached the magical warriors. The gems turned to face Steven and Connie.

"Hey, buddy," Amethyst said, waving at her young comrade. "¿Qué pasa?"

"So, why are you guys putting up the laser light cannons again?" Steven inquired.

"We have to go fight the Homeworld gem in the Kindergarten," Garnet replied promptly, "…and we need to make sure the humans are safe in case she comes back to the beach."

"But didn't you say everything would be okay?" Steven asked, perplexed by the gems' caution.

"Don't worry, Steven," Pearl responded. "We just wanted to take precautions. You can never be too careful."

"Sooo… when are we leaving?" Steven asked, looking over at the light cannons. Garnet adjusted her shades before answering his question.

"We're leaving now. And you're staying here."

"What!" Steven exclaimed. "How come?"

"It's too dangerous Steven." Pearl stated, briefly looking the boy over. "Besides, you still haven't recovered from the last attack. You should be resting. We can handle it.

"Sorry, dude," Amethyst chimed in.

"But I really want to come!" Steven asserted. Tears began to form in the young gem's eyes. "Besides, what if you guys get hurt? I have mom's shield! I can protect us! I'm a Crystal Gem too!"

Garnet kneeled down, put a hand on Steven's shoulder, and met his tearful gaze.

"That's why you need to stay here. If the gem comes back, the others will need you to protect them. They will need a leader."

Steven sniffed and looked a Garnet for a few seconds before nodding and wiping his eyes.

"Okay."

Connie walked over and put her arm around Steven.

"Don't worry," she stated, "I'll stay here and help make sure everyone is safe, too."

Steven looked down at his injured arm before turning his attention to Connie.

"No. You should leave. What if you get hurt?"

"What if _you_ get hurt, Steven?" Connie replied indignantly. "You promised me you would be more careful. I'm not going to let you stay here by yourself and fight a dangerous gem. We're jam buds, remember?"

Steven looked at Connie for a few seconds before smiling and pulling her into a one-armed hug, which she gently returned.

"Thank you, Connie."

After a minute, the two let go of one another. Pearl cleared her throat, causing Steven and Connie to look up at her.

"Well, Connie," the pale gem started, "if you're going to stay, you should take this." Pearl stepped back and quickly performed a dance, summoning a sword from her gem. The tranquil gem drew the sword briefly, examining the blade of the weapon, before re-sheathing it and handing it carefully to Connie.

"Just remember what I taught you," Pearl stated.

Connie stared at the weapon in her hands for a few seconds before looking up at Pearl. With a confident smile, she nodded.

"Alright, gems, time to go," Garnet stated suddenly. Amethyst and Pearl both turned to their leader and nodded. Garnet looked over at Steven one final time, giving him a curt nod, before walking towards the warp pad, followed by the other Crystal Gems. Neither Steven nor Connie moved, simply standing and watching as the gems made their way to the other end of the beach. A minute later, the gems reached the warp pad among the rubble. Steven waved goodbye to the gems as they disappeared in a pillar of blue light. After they vanished, Connie and Steven looked at one another silently, concern present in their features. Without warning, someone grabbed Steven from behind and picked him up. Steven turned his head to see his dad looking at him. Greg gently lifted his son onto his shoulders before speaking.

"I'm sure they'll be alright, kiddo. How about we go get something to eat?" Steven hesitated for a moment before responding.

"…Yeah, okay. C'mon Connie, let's go." At that, the trio started towards the boardwalk.

A couple hours later, the three were lying on the beach, enjoying the quiet on the beach as the sun moved lower on the horizon. Steven sat up and looked over at the warp pad. The gems still hadn't returned, and he was getting worried. Resolving to go see if they were alright, Steven got to his feet and dusted off his shirt.

"Where are you going, Steven?" Connie asked.

"I'm going to go find the gems. I think something happened."

"It's not safe, son," Greg asserted, worry evident in his voice.

"I need to go, guys," Steven replied, determination filling his voice. "Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl can't beat the Homeworld gem alone. They need me. I have to go help them. Please understand."

Greg stared at Steven for a few moments before letting out a sigh.

"Well, alright," he said, "but it's getting dark. There's a flashlight in the tent. I'll go get it." Greg got up and quickly began to walk towards his tent.

Connie looked over at Steven, who was staring out at the ocean. Connie stood up and walked over to the young gem. Being careful not to hurt him, Connie put her hand on Steven's shoulder. He turned to find her staring at him, concern evident in her face.

"Promise me you'll be careful, Steven."

"I will," he responded. Footsteps behind him signaled the approach of his dad. Greg walked down to the pair and handed Steven a small, black flashlight.

"Good luck," Greg stated, his voice wavering slightly. The aging father watched as his only son gave him a nod, whirled around, and began his trek down the beach. Upon reaching the warp pad, Steven turned towards his friends and waved as he disappeared in a flash of light.

As Steven traveled through the magical pillar of light, he mentally readied himself for what he was about to witness. The young gem knew that he was about to face an enemy far stronger than anything he had yet encountered. As far as he could tell, the Homeworld gem had no regard for human life. His friends and family in Beach City suddenly came to mind. Steven hated to think what would happen if he and the gems lost…

Without warning, the warp ended, depositing Steven in the middle of the Kindergarten. Steven looked around the canyon, scanning for any sign of Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, or the Homeworld gem. The dim light of the setting sun silhouetted the injectors against the sky, giving the Kindergarten an surreal appearance. Steven paused and listened, hoping to hear one of the gems. However, the entire canyon was ominously silent. The young boy began to feel nervous. He could tell that something was wrong.

Without warning, a yell pierced the silence, echoing through the rocky chasm. Steven immediately recognized the voice.

"Pearl!"

Without hesitating, the young gem took off in the direction of the noise, desperately trying to find his friends. As he ran through the Kindergarten, sounds of struggle and the gems' voices continued to reverberate through the rocky walls, creating a violent chorus. As Steven drew closer and closer to the source of the noise, the sounds fused into a dreadful cacophony.

Then the valley fell silent.

Steven continued running, morbid thoughts playing through his mind as he searched for his friends. Suddenly, a flash of red caught his attention. Steven abruptly stopped running and ducked behind a boulder to avoid being seen. Being careful to avoid being spotted, Steven peeked out from behind the rock to find Garnet grappling with the Homeworld gem. Steven looked around the canyon for any sign of Amethyst or Pearl. After searching for a minute, he located the gemstones of his friends lying on the ground a few feet from the fighting gems. Steven watched from his hiding spot as the Homeworld gem slowly began to overpower Garnet.

"Well," the gem started, her voice dripping with malice, "you 'Crystal Gems' certainly are annoying. Tell me where Rose is hiding!"

"I'll never tell you" Garnet yelled in response. "I won't let you hurt any more defenseless humans." The Homeworld gem snickered, her mouth stretching into a sadistic grin.

"As if you could stop me." The Homeworld gem promptly grabbed Garnet's midsection with both hands and pulled, ripping the tall gem in half effortlessly. From behind the rock, Steven watched as the gem smirked, admiring her gruesome handiwork before throwing the pieces of Garnet to the ground. Garnet's physical form disappeared, causing her gemstones to clatter to the stone floor. Steven stood completely still, utterly terrified by what he had just witnessed. The young gem could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks. The Homeworld gem smiled, nonchalantly kicking Sapphire's gemstone across the rocky ground. Suddenly, Steven heard a voice from the other end of the canyon.

"Finally, someone came! I've been trapped on this miserable planet for weeks now!"

Steven looked over and spotted a familiar lime-green individual approaching the Homeworld gem.

"It's Peridot!" Steven whispered, being careful not to make too much noise.

"Where is the ship?" Peridot asked, creating a holo-display with her fingers. "I need to get back to Homeworld and report on the status of the Cluster."

The mysterious gem looked down at Peridot and snickered.

"I'm not here to help you, you pathetic excuse for a gem. You failed your mission. Twice. Going to Earth should have been easy. You can stay on this worthless ball of rock for the next ten thousand years for all I care. My only concern is finding and killing Rose!"

"Well, _my_ job is getting back to Homeworld and reporting back to Yellow Diamond!" replied Peridot angrily. "So you _will_ take me to your ship, and set a course to return to Homeworld."

"Make me," the Homeworld gem replied coldly, glaring at Peridot. "I'm not going anywhere until Rose Quartz has been destroyed."

Overhearing this exchange, Steven shuddered in his hiding place.

The Homeworld gem abruptly stopped, listened for a second, and turned towards Steven's hiding place. The young boy huddled closer to the rock, trying desperately not to make any noise.

Peridot glowered at the Homeworld gem coldly until an idea dawned on her.

"I know where Rose is."

The Homeworld gem looked at the technician and smiled sadistically.

"Then you may be of some use to me after all."


	15. Wherever You Are

Wherever You Are

Steven could feel his heart thumping in his chest as he tried to remain hidden from the two gems a few yards away from him. The young gem was entirely unsure of how to proceed. He had considered trying to make a run for the warp pad to get back to Beach City and warn the others, but had decided against it. The Homeworld gem would probably outrun him, and if he was caught…

Steven shuddered as memories of his previous encounter with the Homeworld gem played through his mind, and huddled closer to the rock he was hiding behind. The young gem turned his attention to the two gems standing in the middle of the canyon, who had been conversing for the last several minutes.

"…So Rose turned into a human?" the Homeworld gem asked.

"It calls itself 'The Steven'. Though it exhibits Rose's abilities, it is immune to our gem destabilizers. I have encountered it several times, including when I was here last.

"And where can I find it?" the Homeworld gem asked impatiently, casting a disdainful look at the technician.

"The location I initially encountered 'The Steven' and the remaining rebels is not far from here. Is your ship nearby?"

Steven remained in his hiding place, greatly dismayed by the exchange he just overheard. He knew that the gems were going to go to the beach to try and find him. If the evil duo went to Beach City, they would probably raze the town again. Steven wondered grimly if the residents would be able to survive another assault from the gem warship. He had to prevent the pair from reaching Beach City!

Steven stopped to consider his options. He could try to lead the Homeworld gem and Peridot to a remote location to fight them. However, Steven doubted that he would survive a two-on-one fight against the gems. On the other hand, Steven could lead them to Beach City and get help from his friends. Still, doing so would likely cause damage to Beach City and its residents. After briefly considering both options, the worried boy decided against the latter; he wouldn't let anyone else get hurt because of him. Steven shifted his position, inadvertently causing a small rock to clatter to the stone floor. The sound echoed through the canyon, causing Steven to cringe.

At the unexpected sound, the Homeworld gem turned towards the rock concealing Steven.

"What are you…" Peridot started.

The Homeworld gem motioned for Peridot to be quiet and listened again. She had heard something moving in the canyon. They weren't alone. The Homeworld gem slowly began to approach Steven's rock.

Behind the rock, Steven was crouching, desperately hoping that the evil gems wouldn't find him. He could hear the heavy footsteps as the gem slowly came towards his hiding spot. The scared boy wasn't sure what to do. Different courses of action rapidly played through his mind as he tried to figure out how to escape. Suddenly, the Homeworld gem took hold of the rock. Without hesitating, Steven darted out from behind it and took off running back towards the warp pad.

"Huh?" the Homeworld gem exclaimed, momentarily surprised by the small spy.

"There it is!" Peridot exclaimed. "That's Rose!"

The Homeworld gem snarled and ran after the injured boy, who had gained a significant lead due to her hesitation.

Steven's chest began to hurt as he continued to run as fast as he could towards the warp pad. He could hear the evil gem gaining on him. Steven knew that he wouldn't be able to keep running for much longer. He looked over his shoulder; much to his dismay, the Homeworld gem was only a few feet away from him. The villain reached out in an attempt to grab him. Steven looked forward and noticed that the warp pad was only a few yards away. Mustering the energy he had left, Steven surged forward, narrowly avoiding his pursuer's grasp. He leapt onto the warp pad and teleported away just as the gem dived to catch him.

In the warp, Steven breathed a sigh of relief. The young gem pondered his current situation and what to do next. He had no idea where the warp would end, and whether the Homeworld gem would be able to follow him through the stream. If he ended up back at Beach City, he would have to go and warn the others. If not, Steven supposed he would have to find a safe place to rest and decide his next move.

Without warning, the warp ended, causing Steven to fall several feet to the ground. He stood up and dusted himself off, unsure of where the warp stream had taken him. In the dim light of dusk, Steven struggled to make out his surroundings. Remembering the flashlight his dad had given him, the tired boy reached into his back pocket and pulled out the small black item. Steven clicked the button on the side of the device, hoping it was still working after his recent ordeal; much to his relief, the device lit up. Steven pointed the flashlight in front of him and looked around, surveying the foliage around him.

Suddenly, the warp pad behind him came to life. Unsure of who to expect, Steven quickly dived into some foliage nearby and turned off his flashlight. Unable to see through the vegetation, Steven listened as the warp ended and someone stepped off the warp pad.

"Where could Rose have gone? When I find her, I'm going to enjoy taking her apart piece by piece! You stay here and make sure she doesn't come back."

"Fine," Peridot replied frustrated.

The Homeworld gem stopped and looked around for any sign of her target. Steven remained completely still, knowing that the slightest movement might betray his position. After what seemed like an eternity, the villain moved on. Steven waited as the sound of footsteps became more and more distant. Finally, when the coast seemed clear, he began to slowly crawl away from the warp pad. After crawling for several minutes, Steven stood up and took deep breaths. The sun had finally set, plunging his surroundings into total darkness. He turned his flashlight on again and renewed his trek through the wilderness.

After venturing through the dark forest for several minutes, Steven came to a point where the trees gave way to a large beach. The young boy stood at the edge of the clearing, gazing out at the ocean as the waves crashed against the shore. Looking around, Steven noticed an odd structure in the sand a few yards away from him. Looking around to make sure the Homeworld gem wasn't nearby, Steven slowly made his through the sand to the structure. The young adventurer pointed his flashlight at the unknown structure, and found that it was a makeshift tent. He suddenly realized where he was.

"This is the island where the gems and I looked for that invisible gem monster!" Steven whispered excitedly. "I remember when I took Lars and Sadie on vacation here. That was fun." Steven walked over to the tent and went inside, examining the condition of the structure. Shining his flashlight on the ground, he noticed the remains of several crystal necklaces he had been making before they left. Steven picked one up, examining the clear facets of the shards, before putting it into his back pocket. The necklace would be a nice gift for Connie later, assuming he escaped the Homeworld gem and made it back to Beach City.

Suddenly, Steven heard motion outside the tent. The young gem turned just in time to see a figure block the entrance to the structure. The imposing gem looked the injured boy over and grinned maliciously.

"There you are! So, Rose, you were with the other rebels the whole time. No wonder you didn't die the first time I beat you. You're not just an ordinary human. Heh heh I've been waiting a long time for this. It's time for you to pay for your treason!"

The Homeworld gem grabbed the sides of the tent, lifted it up effortlessly, and hurled it into the ocean. Steven let out a whimper and backed away from his assailant, stashing his flashlight in his pocket. The gem quickly advanced towards Steven and grabbed him by his injured arm, causing the boy to cry out in pain. The gem swung the young gem by his injured appendage, slamming him into the ground several times. Without warning, the powerful gem whirled around and threw Steven into the trunk of a tree several yards away. The young boy yelped as he hit the ground and clutched his bandaged arm in a desperate attempt to alleviate the pain. The Homeworld gem began to deliberately make her way towards the injured gem, cracking her knuckles. Fearing for his life, Steven got up and ran hurriedly into the forest. The Homeworld gem ran after him, yelling angrily at the boy.

"Get back here! Face me like a gem."

Steven continued running through the jungle, ducking and weaving between the trees as he tried to escape the Homeworld gem. Unable to make out the landscape in front of him, the terrified gem collided with several low-hanging branches, causing him to stumble briefly. Steven regained his balance and turned his head to find the Homeworld gem a few feet away from him, barreling through foliage and crushing branches recklessly. Steven let out a gasp and turned his attention forward again, narrowly missing a tree trunk. He hoped that the warp pad was somewhere nearby. Suddenly, the dense forest gave way to another beach. Steven turned just in time for the Homeworld gem to barrel into him, sending him flying backward. He landed roughly at the water's edge and sat up slowly, rubbing his head. The injured boy looked up to see his assailant towering over him, glaring down at him.

"Finally," the Homeworld gem spat, "you have nowhere to run."

The gem drew her arm back, preparing to deliver a crushing blow to the cornered boy. Steven cringed, shutting his eyes tightly and covering his face with his good arm. The Homeworld gem swung downward, only for her attack to make contact with a large pink bubble. The Homeworld gem recoiled, stumbling backwards a few feet. Steven opened his eyes to find that his attacker had retreated. Seizing the opportunity, Steven dispelled his bubble and quickly got to his feet. His aggressor, seeing this, lunged forward in an attempt to grab him. The young boy suddenly gained a second wind and deftly maneuvered past the Homeworld gem, once again escaping into the cover of the jungle. The villain roared in frustration and followed him once more into the foliage. Steven ran through the forest, his tireless assailant in pursuit. Steven briefly wondered if he should stop and face the gem head-on, but quickly dismissed the idea. None of the other Crystal Gems had been able to defeat his pursuer; he would be lucky to last a minute. Steven noticed that the forest cleared ahead of him, and he quickened his pace.

Upon reaching the clearing, Steven realized that he had made it back to the warp pad. He stopped briefly and looked at the lime-green gem standing between him and his only escape route.

"Stop!" Peridot demanded.

Knowing that he only had one option, Steven summoned his shield, lowered his head, and charged at Peridot. He collided with the technician, sending her flying to the side. Determined to escape, Steven scrambled to the warp pad, teleporting away just as the Homeworld gem reached the platform.

The warp deposited Steven on the strawberry battlefield. The dim light of the moon gave the ancient battleground an ominous feeling. He walked off the warp pad and fell to his knees, taking rapid, short breaths. Suddenly, the warp pad behind him activated. Steven turned just in time for the Homeworld gem to reach out and grab him by the collar of his shirt. The villain lifted him roughly off the ground and brought his face close to hers. Steven began to shake, utterly terrified.

"No more running, Rose!" The gem exclaimed furiously. "This time, you die!"


	16. Why We Have To Fight Them

Why We Have To Fight Them

Steven struggled in the Homeworld gem's grip. The injured gem knew that he wouldn't be able to win in a fair fight. Without the gems or Connie, he was entirely outmatched, even at full strength. Considering his current condition, his primary objective was escaping from the Homeworld gem and finding somewhere safe to gather his wits. Shifting in the gem's grasp, Steven made another attempt to break free, but to no avail. He looked at his captor, who gave him a bloodthirsty grin and drew her arm back.

"I'm going to enjoy this," the gem said sadistically.

Pulling her arm back further, the gem swung at Steven, hitting his injured shoulder and sending him flying several yards into a strawberry patch. Reeling from the force of the blow, Steven slowly got to his feet and clutched his aching shoulder. The wounded gem looked up just in time to see his assailant lunge at him. He reacted quickly, sidestepping the attack. The Homeworld gem hit the ground, sending rocks and leaves flying in many directions. Quickly getting to her feet, the evil gem turned towards Steven, staring daggers at her hated enemy. The young boy took several steps back, scared by the Homeworld gem's animosity. The imposing villain roared and summoned a massive cudgel. Fearing for his survival, Steven turned and began to run away from the gem; emitting a battle cry, the gem began to follow him through the patches of strawberries. The young gem ran for a minute before his pursuer overtook him. Enraged, the Homeworld gem tried to crush Steven with her weapon, but the young gem managed to avoid her wild attack. The psychopathic gem recovered and lunged at the boy once more, swinging her weapon furiously. Steven narrowly evaded her attacks, retreating several steps.

"Wait!" Steven cried, his voice wavering. "Why do you want to fight me? Can't we just all get along?"

"I want to destroy you," the gem replied coldly. "and I have no intention of 'getting along'."

The Homeworld gem continued her unwavering assault on Steven. Ducking and weaving, the injured boy managed to narrowly evade her massive weapon again and again. Realizing that he would eventually wear out, Steven turned and sprinted towards the warp pad. Unfortunately, the young gem's foot caught on a stone, causing him to fall face-first onto the cold ground. Steven turned to see the gem standing over him, the gigantic weapon raised above her head.

"Finally, after five thousand years, I finally get my revenge. This…ends…"

Suddenly, a large object barreled into the Homeworld gem, sending her flying into a nearby strawberry patch. Unable to make out the object in the dim moonlight, Steven quickly grabbed his flashlight and clicked it on. Pointing it at the bush, Steven found Lion grappling with his attacker.

"Lion!" Steven exclaimed, relieved to see his friend. "You came back to save me!" Lion let out a concussive roar, knocking the Homeworld gem back several feet.

"Get out of my way!" the Homeworld gem thundered furiously. She spun around, swinging her massive cudgel at Steven's pink protector. The weapon caught Lion square in his belly, launching him several yards. Steven watched with horror as his companion hit the ground roughly, letting out a pained whine. Realizing that his Lion was buying him valuable time to escape, Steven turned and dashed towards the warp pad. Realizing that her quarry was escaping, the Homeworld gem let out an angry yell and sprinted after the fleeing boy. Steven continued to run as fast as he could, weaving between strawberry patches as the Homeworld gem slowly gained on him.

The fleeing gem looked over at his shoulder at Lion, who was curled up on the ground. Steven couldn't bear to leave his friend behind, but knew that there was nothing he could do to help. Steven felt powerless, unable to help his friends as the Homeworld gem hurt them one by one. He refused to let anyone else get hurt. He had to get to Beach City and warn everyone before it was too late.

Seeing the warp ahead of him, Steven surged forward diving onto the warp pad. Quickly getting up, the young gem warped away just as his deadly assailant reached him. In the warp stream, Steven took slow, deep breaths and used his working hand to rub his head, which was throbbing painfully. Countless unanswered questions danced in the young gem's mind. Why was the gem attacking him? What did she want with his mom? Would he be able to survive much longer? Were his friends safe? Gruesome thoughts played through Steven's brain, sending a shiver down his spine. Taking one more deep breath, Steven dusted himself off and regained his composure. Without warning, the warp ended, depositing Steven on the beach. Squinting as his eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight, Steven took out his flashlight, clicked it on, and stepped off the warp pad. He looked around anxiously, hell-bent on finding his dad and the others.

Steven began to walk down the beach towards the few remaining tents. He was thankful that many of the residents had already gone back to their homes. If the Homeworld gem came to the beach looking for him, the people who had already left wouldn't be in danger. Steven turned his attention to the boardwalk. In the dim moonlight, he could barely make out the outlines of the many storefronts and locations that had been repaired over the past week. The progress made by the residents heartened the weary boy, and he smiled half-heartedly. Turning his attention back to the task at hand, Steven quickened his pace.

After walking for another minute, Steven finally arrived at the group of tents. Slowly making his way through the makeshift structures, Steven reached his tent and went inside. Looking around, Steven was surprised to find the dwelling deserted. The confused gem stood for few seconds, wondering where his dad could be. Suddenly, a realization came to him.

"Dad's probably in his van!" Steven exclaimed to himself. He guessed that Connie had gone back to her house for the evening, so his dad had no reason to stay in the tent.

Quickly exiting the tent, Steven looked around the beach for any sign of his dad's beloved vehicle. After looking for a few seconds, he spotted it further down the beach, and started jogging towards it. Upon reaching the van, Steven walked to the back doors, put away his flashlight, and began pounding on them furiously in an attempt to wake his dad up. After a minute, Greg burst from the back of his van brandishing a waffle iron, causing Steven to fall backwards into the sand.

"Who's there?" Greg asked, looking around frantically. "I'm warning you, if you…oh, Steven, it's just you." He helped his son to his feet. "Where are the others?"

"Dad!" Steven responded hysterically. "The Homeworld gem is coming! She beat up Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl and now she's coming for me! You need to get everyone as far away from the beach as you can."

"What!" Greg replied, a fearful look in his eyes. "I-I won't let you stay here and fight her alone! I can't stand to see you get hurt again."

"I have to, dad," Steven stated, tears forming in his eyes. "It's the only way to keep everyone safe."

Suddenly, Steven heard a faint noise from behind him. He turned to see the warp pad activate at the other end of the beach, and heard a loud roar in the darkness.

"Go! Get out of here!" the young gem exclaimed, "I won't let anyone else get hurt because of me."

"No, I won't let you," Greg asserted sternly. "You're my son, and it's my responsibility to keep you safe!"

"Dad! Please!" Steven cried. Greg hesitated for a moment, and sighed.

"Okay, kiddo, just be careful," Greg stated, holding back tears. "You're all I've got left."

Steven nodded in understanding before turning and taking off down the beach towards the warp pad. After jogging for a minute, he made out the imposing outline of the Homeworld gem in the moonlight and stopped, catching his breath for a few seconds. The pair stood silently, unmoving for a minute, staring at one another. Finally, the Homeworld gem spoke up.

"So, you finally decided to stand and fight. I guess you're not a complete coward after all."

"I don't want to fight you," Steven stated, shifting his position slightly. "I know that you don't like my mom, but we don't need to hurt one another over something that happened a long time ago. Can't we just try to work this out? We could be friends."

"No," The villain replied, summoning her cudgel once more, " we can't be 'friends'. The only thing that I want is to watch you suffer!"

Roaring, the Homeworld gem lunged at Steven, swinging her weapon at him. Steven quickly summoned his shield and blocked the attack. The evil gem swiftly recovered and attacked again. The young gem managed to block the second blow, but the force of the strike knocked his shield off his arm, sending it flying several feet away. Steven looked over at his shield lying in the sand and winced. He turned his attention back to the Homeworld gem just in time for the massive cudgel to hit him directly, slamming him into the ground. The gem surged forward and swung her weapon repeatedly, bludgeoning the young gem as he lay helplessly in the sand. After a few seconds, the Homeworld gem stopped and glared down at her hated adversary. Steven was curled up in the sand, his good arm covering his head, crying profusely.

"Ugh," the Homeworld gem spat, "This is really what's become of you, Rose? You're pathetic. I used to respect you, but you've become weak."

The gem picked up her foot and planted it roughly in Steven's chest. The wounded boy heard something crack, and let out an agonized cry as pain erupted in his chest. The cruel gem picked up her foot and brought it down on Steven's injured arm, snapping the appendage and eliciting another pained yelp from her adversary.

"This almost isn't satisfying," the Homeworld gem stated sadistically. The gem hit Steven with her cudgel once more, smiling as he emitted a pained groan. "…Almost."

The evil gem removed her foot and kicked the injured boy, launching him several yards. Steven landed in the sand roughly and let out several coughs, clutching his chest. The pain was more intense than anything Steven had ever felt, and the battered young gem struggled to maintain consciousness. His vision was beginning to blur, and he felt nauseous. Weakly turning his head to the side, Steven noticed that one of the laser light cannons stood a few feet from him. Suddenly, a painful realization dawned on him. The wounded boy knew that he only had one hope of keeping everyone safe.

The Homeworld gem slowly made her way over to her prey and gazed down at him. Steven struggled to get up for a few seconds, grasping at the sand in a desperate attempt to find something to steady himself. The villain chuckled and brought her foot down on the young gem once more, smirking as she heard another rib crack. The gem leaned over, grabbing Steven by his injured arm and lifting him off the ground.

"You've been causing trouble for the past five thousand years, Rose. I expected this to be a challenge. But you didn't even put up a fight. Even your army is pathetic." The gem lifted her weapon above her head and gazed at her injured prey. "Any last words?"

Steven struggled in the gem's grip and coughed. Looking up at his assailant, he gave a small nod.

"If every pork chop were perfect…we wouldn't have (cough)…hot dogs.

The Homeworld gem gave him a confused look. "What's a 'hot dog'? No matter, time for you to…huh?" The gem heard a sound from behind her, and turned to see the light cannon charging up. Realizing what Steven had done, the gem turn towards him and yelled furiously.

"Why you little…"

The gem's furious rant was cut off as the cannon fired a massive blast of energy at the pair. Steven lowered his head and closed his eyes as he and the Homeworld gem were engulfed in blinding light.


	17. Before Consequence

Before Consequence

The light of the morning had just begun to peek out over the horizon. As the sun slowly rose, its golden rays shined on the countless injectors in the Kindergarten, bathing the ancient site in a radiant glow. Earlier, the sounds of violent struggle rang within the rocky walls. Now, the only sound was that of a light morning breeze flowing through the vast valley. The unnatural silence of the ancient place gave the canyon a tranquil yet ominous feeling.

The eerie atmosphere was abruptly dispelled by an otherworldly hum and a flash of light. A familiar purple figure appeared. Amethyst blinked, stretched, and looked around, searching for any sign of trouble. After determining that she wasn't in imminent danger, the violet gem stopped and took a deep breath, rubbing the back of her head.

"Geez, that gem hits like a freight train. I hope we don't have to fight her again. Ugh."

Now fully awake, Amethyst scanned the ground, looking for the gemstones of her fallen comrades. After a few seconds, Amethyst noticed two glinting objects on the stone floor. Amethyst briefly lamented how she had been so easily defeated by the Homeworld gem. She had lasted less than thirty seconds in the fight, leaving Garnet and Pearl to deal with the villain. As she could tell, their luck hadn't been much better. The purple warrior walked over and quickly stooped to pick up the gemstones. Amethyst stared at the glimmering objects for a second, wondering what was missing. She suddenly realized that Sapphire's gem wasn't there. Somewhat panicked, Amethyst frantically looked around the canyon until she spotted the small blue stone lying against the far rock wall. Amethyst briskly jogged over to the azure gemstone.

As the violet gem leaned over to pick up Sapphire's stone, it began to glow. Amethyst jumped back in surprise as the cyclopean gem reformed in a flash of light. Sapphire took a second to get her bearings before setting her gaze on Amethyst.

"You're awake," she stated calmly.

"Yep," Amethyst replied. "Just me."

"Do you have Ruby's gemstone?" Sapphire inquired. Amethyst quickly nodded in response and handed her the red stone.

"So, what happened to the Homeworld gem?" Amethyst asked, her calm demeanor belying her worry. Sapphire stopped and concentrated for a minute before looking up at her teammate and shaking her head.

"I…I don't know. My future vision isn't working. I can't…I can't see." Amethyst gazed at her clairvoyant comrade and shrugged.

"Eh, I guess we'll just have to wait for Ruby and Pearl," stated the purple gem.

Amethyst glanced around the canyon for a minute before noticing that her "sitting rock" was only a few yards away. The purple warrior leisurely made her way over to the large rock, her mind preoccupied with the recent skirmish. She jumped, landing roughly on top of the ancient stone. Amethyst stood and looked around, enjoying the feeling of the cool breeze as it blew through her flowing hair. Though she had no idea where the Homeworld gem went, the violet warrior had a feeling that they hadn't seen the last of her. She wondered where Steven was, and if he had encountered the Homeworld gem. She hoped he was alright…

Amethyst's train of thought was interrupted when Pearl's gem began to glow. The polished stone floated out of her hand, and Pearl emerged majestically. The pale gem landed gracefully on the ground and quickly summoned her weapon, looking around the canyon. Once she decided that Amethyst and Sapphire were the only other gems there, Pearl released her spear and spun around to face her friends.

"Good to see you're both awake," Pearl said distractedly, her mind clearly preoccupied.

"You too, P," Amethyst responded. The purple gem jumped off her "sitting rock" and approached her newly reformed teammate. "It's been too quiet without your nagging."

Pearl gave her a dirty look before turning and addressing Sapphire.

"Ruby hasn't regenerated yet?" Sapphire held out the small red gemstone, causing Pearl to grimace slightly.

"Well," Pearl continued, "I'm not sure it's safe without Garnet. I'm not even sure it's safe _with_ her. I think we should wait for Ruby before we go back to Beach City."

"Well, I think we should head back as soon as possible!" Amethyst asserted. "If the gem went to the beach, then everyone's in danger. We can't just sit here!"

"We can't do anything even _if_ we go!" Pearl retorted. "The Homeworld gem beat us. _Twice!_ And we had Garnet with us both times. We even had Steven with us in our first encounter. If all four of us didn't win the first time, how do you expect us to now?"

"I don't," Amethyst replied pointedly. "I'm not saying we need to go fight. We just need to go make sure no one got hurt." Pearl turned to Sapphire, who was focused on the small red stone she was holding.

"What do you think we should do?" the pale warrior asked. The clairvoyant gem looked up at her and thought for a few seconds.

"Without my future vision, I can't say for certain what we should do. But I agree with Amethyst. We need to protect the humans. And make sure that Steven is safe. You two go. I'll stay here and wait for Ruby to come back. When she does, we'll meet you there."

Amethyst and Pearl both looked at the azure gem for a few seconds before turning to one another and nodding. Without another word, the pair whirled around and swiftly sprinted through the valley towards the warp pad. The sound of their furious footsteps echoed through the canyon walls as they made their way to the warp pad. As they ran, Pearl looked over at her companion. She could see a fierce determination in her comrade's features.

"Do you think Steven's okay?" the pale gem asked. Amethyst looked over at her, noticing her worried expression.

"Um…yeah, I think he's okay." The purple warrior lied. "He's probably hanging out with Greg somewhere." Amethyst turned her attention forward once more. As she ran, thoughts of Steven's fate ran through her mind. She doubted that Beach City had remained entirely unscathed. The purple warrior knew that Steven would have stayed to protect his friends if the gem came, which probably ended with him…

Amethyst shook her head, banishing the awful visions from her mind. She looked up and noticed the warp pad not far ahead. After a few more seconds, Amethyst and Pearl skidded to a halt in front of the magical platform. Looking at one another with trepidation, the pair slowly stepped onto the warp pad and vanished in a flash of light.

In the warp, Pearl looked over at her companion, who was looking down at her own feet, clearly upset by the events which had transpired recently. The pale gem took a deep breath and summoned her spear.

"We should be ready when we get to the temple. There's no telling who will be waiting for us. Amethyst looked up at her comrade and nodded. For once, she agreed with Pearl; the pair needed to be ready for anything. Without another word, she pulled her whip from her gem and assumed a fighting stance. She hoped it wouldn't be needed.

Without warning, the warp ended, dropping the pair on the beach. The two gems rushed off the warp pad, assuming a fighting stance, only to find no sign of their diabolical enemy. Sweeping the area once more to make sure it was safe, the two warriors nodded at each other and dispelled their weapons.

"We should go look for Greg and Steven," Amethyst suggested. Pearl gave her a perfunctory nod, and the duo took off down the beach towards Greg's tent. After a minute of trudging through the sand, the pair arrived at the makeshift structure, only to find it deserted. Pearl looked around the beach for any sign of Greg's van, but to no avail. The pale gem looked back at her companion worriedly.

"I can't find any sign of Greg or Steven. Do you think they were captured or…"

"Relax, P." Amethyst stated nonchalantly. "They're probably at the car wash or something."

"But the Homeworld gem was here for a reason," Pearl responded. "And all we know is that she destroyed Rose's fountain. If she's here to find Rose, then she might have gone after Steven. We need to go…"

"I don't think she knows about Steven. Let's go see if he and Greg are in town." Without another word, the two gems began walking to the boardwalk.

When the pair arrived at the boardwalk, they immediately knew something was wrong. The town was eerily quiet; the sounds of the residents as they made repairs had ceased entirely. The only noises that the gems heard were the sounds of the seagulls squawking and the ocean breeze blowing. No matter where the duo looked, they failed to find any sign of Greg, Steven, or the other residents. Finally, they reached the carwash and stopped. Amethyst listened for a second before hearing a small noise come from inside the car wash. Summoning her whip, Amethyst slowly began to advance towards the car wash tunnel. Pearl quickly pulled her spear and followed her comrade. The pair proceeded slowly, their footsteps barely audible as they advanced deliberately towards the tunnel. As the gems reached the entrance, Pearl nodded to Amethyst, and the duo jumped out, weapons raised. The source of the noise, a seagull, let out a squawk and took off, flying past the pair and out of the tunnel. Letting out a sigh, Pearl released her weapon and looked at Amethyst.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

Before the purple gem had a chance to respond, a noise came from outside the carwash. Quickly looking at one another, the dynamic duo rushed outside to find Greg's van driving towards them. Amethyst waved at the vehicle in an attempt to get Greg's attention. The vehicle began to slow, coming to a stop beside the pair. The passenger's side window rolled down, and Connie waved at the gems.

"Hey guys!" the young girl said.

"Amethyst! Pearl!" Greg exclaimed from the driver's seat. "Boy, am I glad to see you guys!"

"Hello, Connie." Pearl replied cordially.

"Yo, Greg!" Amethyst responded nonchalantly. "You seen Steven anywhere?"

The father's expression darkened. "No, I haven't. He stayed behind to fight the evil gem late last night. Steven said she was coming after him and told me to get everyone away from the beach. Then he ran off. I managed to find everyone and get them away from the city. We stopped a few miles away. I saw a flash of light, but I figured that if I went back, I'd just get in the way."

"I came about an hour ago, and found everyone sitting on the ridge." Connie added.

"Did you see Steven?" Greg asked the gems worriedly.

"Nope." Amethyst replied.

"Wait." Pearl interjected. "A flash of light…" The pale gem's eyes widened. "The light cannons! We need to go back to the beach! Steven could be hurt!"

"I'll meet you there!" Greg replied frantically. Not waiting for a response, Greg drove off. Amethyst gave Pearl a nod, and the sprinted down towards the beach.

A minute later, the group arrived at the edge of the sand. Greg and Connie quickly got out of the van, and the worried group jogged over to the cannons. Upon reaching their destination, they stopped, looking around for any sign of the young boy. After a few seconds, Connie let out a gasp.

"Look!"

Everyone turned their attention to where she was pointing. There, in the sand, was a massive trench, extending from the end of the cannon for several yards. Connie quickly jogged into the trench, looking for any sign of Steven. She noticed several small objects in the sand. Beginning to worry, Connie slowly made her way to the mysterious articles. Connie finally reached them, and let out a shocked gasp. Lying in the sand was a charred, salmon-colored flip-flop and a small crystal necklace. Connie reached down and picked up the glittering piece of jewelry, feeling the rough edges of the stones. Connie could feel the tears running down her cheeks, staining the sand. The shocked girl heard a noise behind her and turned to find Greg standing at the top of the trench. The aging man looked down at the crying girl and fell to his knees, putting his head in his hands.

"I told him not to fight." Greg choked out. "I knew it was too dangerous. And I let him go anyway."

The sky had grown dark, and a light rain began to fall.

* * *

A word from the author:

Hello again everyone. I just wanted to take a moment to once again thank all of my wonderful readers. Yesterday, I hit the 10,000 view mark. I am very grateful for your continued support. Thank you to all my amazing readers, and especially to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed the story. Stay awesome!

-Lotus


	18. By Watching Myself Die

By Watching Myself Die

The traffic on the way to Beach City was relatively light. Dr. Maheswaran was thankful that the street was mostly devoid of cars. The day before, the road had been congested, and the trip home had taken her an extra half an hour. On days like this, the drive was actually pleasant. Well, normally it was …

Dr. Maheswaran turned her attention to her daughter, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looking forlornly out the window. Connie hadn't said a word since the pair had gotten into the car. She had stared outside for the duration of the drive, absent-mindedly watching as the world rushed by. Her demeanor at home had been visibly different for the past few days; Dr. Maheswaran and her husband were beginning to worry for their daughter's well-being. Turning her attention back to the road, she let out a sigh before addressing the dejected girl.

"Connie..."

"Yeah?" she replied, not bothering to turn her head. Dr. Maheswaran paused for a second before continuing.

"I'm sorry. I know this must be hard for you."

Connie didn't respond. A look of concern came to her mother's face.

"You've been acting…odd these past few days. Your father and I are worried about you. If you need to talk to someone about this, we can…"

"I'm fine," Connie interjected despondently, her gaze remaining on the scenery as it flew by. Her mom let out another sigh.

"…well, just know we're here for you if you need anything."

Once again, Connie failed to acknowledge her.

After driving for another few minutes, the pair finally reached the outskirts of Beach City. As they began to venture into the town, Connie seemed to become increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, the young girl turned to her mother and spoke up.

"Let me get out." Her mother opened her mouth to scold her daughter for her lack of decorum, but caught herself. Her expression softened.

"Are you sure? I can…"

"I'll just walk from here," Connie asserted, unbuckling her seat belt and opening her door. Not waiting for a response, Connie stepped out of the vehicle. The young girl stood for a minute, watching as her mom's car faded into the distance. Finally, she took a deep breath and started her journey to the beach.

As Connie walked, she thought about what her mother had said to her. She didn't understand why they were so upset. The troubled girl knew that her behavior had been less than stellar the past few days, but who could blame her. After everything that had happened, Connie would have expected her mother and father to understand. She would have never imagined that something so catastrophic could occur. The weary girl briefly wondered if she actually did need to go get some help…

Finally, Connie reached the boardwalk and stopped to catch her breath. Looking around, she realized that most of the shops along the boardwalk were closed. Connie couldn't help but feel unnerved by the unnatural ambience. The usually busy boardwalk was entirely silent, save the occasional sound of a seagull and the strong ocean breeze. The town felt as it did when Connie had found it just after the attack. She stopped for a second, letting the cool wind blow through her hair as she looked around for signs of her friends. After searching for a few seconds, she spotted someone across the street. Quickly making sure no cars were coming, Connie crossed the street and approached the stranger. The individual looked down at her and gave a small smile.

"Oh hello. You're…Connie, right?" Connie forced a fake smile.

"Mm-hmm. And you're Jamie." she responded.

"Indeed I am," the young man responded. "You were Steven's friend. I remember meeting you at his house." Connie's expression darkened. Jamie noticed the shift in the young girl's demeanor, and a pitying look came to his face.

"Is that why you're here?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah," Connie replied disconsolately, looking down at the ground.

"I'm sorry," Jamie said. He paused for a second "…you know, he was a really good actor." Connie's didn't react to the well-meant comment.

"Well," Jamie continued, "I have to get going. I guess I'll see you in a little bit. Bye."

"Goodbye," Connie replied, watching as Jamie continued down the boardwalk. After a few seconds, Connie took a breath and continued her journey. As the young girl made her way along the boardwalk, she encountered many more residents. They collectively seemed distraught, plagued by the unspoken truth that hung over the seaside community. Connie could feel the tension in the air. Though repairs to the buildings and roads had been mostly completed, she knew that Beach City wouldn't ever be the same. Noticing Greg's car wash across the street from her, Connie stopped. The weary girl trudged to the entrance of the wash and paused, debating whether or not to go inside.

As she was about to enter the building, Connie heard a faint noise coming from the car wash tunnel. Turning, Connie slowly made her way to the entrance and peered inside. She found Greg sitting with his back to the wall, strumming a lethargic tune on his guitar. He turned towards Connie, and his red eyes widened. She could tell he had been crying. Greg quickly put down his instrument and wiped his eyes.

"Oh, hello Connie," he said sadly, looking up at the worried girl. "How are you holding up?"

"Hey." Connie replied, trying her best to seem alright. "I'm…okay. You?" Greg sighed deeply, picked up his guitar, and continued to pluck away at the strings. Connie walked over and sat down next to him, listening to the melancholy refrain as it echoed through the tunnel.

"It's been hard," Greg finally answered. "It just doesn't feel right. Beach City seems off. Everyone seems different. I know that's it probably just me, but…"

"No, I feel the same way," Connie said, trying to console Greg to the best of her ability. The pair sat quietly for a few minutes, listening to the _twang _of the guitar strings. Finally, Greg stopped playing, causing Connie to look over at him. She could see the tears forming in his eyes.

"I shouldn't have let him go," Greg choked out. "I should have told him to evacuate with the rest of us. Maybe he would still be…"

"No, it's not your fault," Connie interrupted. "He did what he had to do. There's no telling whether or not you would have been able to escape without him."

Greg stared at her with tear-filled eyes, unsure of what to say. After a minute, he managed a half-hearted smile. Putting his guitar down and wiping his eyes, Greg took a deep breath.

"Maybe you're right. He would be glad that we're all safe." Connie gave a small nod in agreement. The pair sat for another minute before Greg spoke again.

"Almost everyone in town will be there. I'm just glad to see everyone supporting one another through this.

Connie acknowledged him silently, looking down at his guitar. Greg followed her gaze, picked up his beloved instrument, and began to play a slightly more upbeat tune.

"Have you seen the gems?" Connie inquired. Greg thought for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"No, I haven't. They're probably at the temple. You should probably go see what they're up to.

Connie stopped to process his request before nodding. Quickly getting up, the reinvigorated girl turned and exited the wash tunnel. Quickly looking for any sign of the gems, Connie began to walk briskly in the direction of the temple. As she grew closer to her destination, Connie could see the progress made by the residents in repairing the town. All of the tents had been deconstructed entirely; the beach looked as it did before the attack. Many of the shops had been fully repaired. The only structure which remained destroyed was Steven's house. Though the rubble had been cleared, no one had bothered to reconstruct the beach house. The entrance to the temple was clearly visible, even from the other end of the beach.

When Connie finally arrived at her destination, she walked up to the magical door and knocked repeatedly.

"Garnet! Pearl! Amethyst! Anyone home?" she called. After a minute, Connie decided to look elsewhere. As she was about to leave, a voice from behind startled her.

"Yo, Connie."

The surprised girl turned to find Amethyst standing in the magical entrance to the temple. The purple warrior stepped away from the door and looked around for a second before speaking again.

"Good to see ya. How've you been?"

"Alright," Connie replied half-heartedly, looking around the ancient entrance. "Have you seen Garnet or Pearl? It's starting soon." Amethyst's half-hearted grin faded.

"Pearl's still in her room. She's been in there since we heard the news. Out of all of us, she's been taking it the hardest. I don't have any idea where Garnet is, though. She went off somewhere to clear her head."

"Are you doing okay?" Connie asked. Amethyst sighed and looked out at the beach.

"I'm…okay, I guess. It just doesn't feel right. It's weird not having the house here. I'm not used to it being so quiet. Amethyst plopped down at the edge of the entrance, staring out at the shimmering waves crashing against the shore.

"I never thought that this would happen, ya know. I figured the Homeworld gems might come back, but…"

The purple warrior stopped and stood up, watching the residents in the distance. They had begun to gather at the far end of the beach. Amethyst sighed again and looked over at Connie. The young girl noticed the violet warrior looking at her and turned her attention to the beach. She saw the convergence and sighed woefully.

"It'll start in a few minutes," Connie stated. "We should probably get going." Amethyst nodded in agreement, and walked over to the inter-dimensional door. Knocking a few times, she called for Pearl to get out of her room. After waiting silently for a minute, the purple gem shrugged, turned away, and walked back over to Connie.

"C'mon, let's go. Garnet and Pearl will catch up with us." Not waiting for an answer, Amethyst started walking down the beach towards the gathering. Taking one last look at the magical door, Connie turned and began to briskly walk after her.

The pair trekked through the sand, watching as the crowd on the beach grew steadily. Though most of the residents of Beach City were in attendance, the gathering was not excessively large. During the short walk along the beach Connie saw many familiar faces, including several people she had met during the reconstruction of the city. After a bit of walking, the duo encountered Sadie, who was on her way to join the assembly. The blonde gave Connie a half-hearted smile, a gesture which the forlorn girl opted not to return. She just didn't have it in her to smile. Finally, the pair reached the steadily growing group. Turning around, Connie noticed Garnet and Pearl talking to Amethyst. The tormented girl turned her focus forward once again. Wanting to get a better view, Connie began to worm her way through the crowd. After a minute, she finally reached the front. Steven stared at her, an exuberant grin plastered on his face.

Connie looked down at the small photograph in the sand. Several items littered the ground around it: a few candles, several flowers, Steven's charred flip-flop, his novelty backpack, his ukulele…

"They're not _Steven's _anymore," Connie silently corrected. Feeling herself begin to cry, Connie reached up and touched the crystal necklace she was wearing. Memories flooded her mind, reminding her of why everything felt so different.

Without warning, a voice snapped Connie back to reality. She looked up to see Mayor Dewey addressing the crowd.

"Thank you everyone for coming." He paused briefly, clearing his throat. "We are gathered here today to remember young Steven Universe, who was taken from us before his time…"

Connie stood and listened as Mayor Dewey detailed how Steven was an integral part of Beach City and had sacrificed himself for the greater good. She watched as several of Steven's friends walked up to the memorial and spoke or placed gifts by his picture. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Greg staring at her with a saddened but sympathetic look on his face. He looked at the memorial tearfully before looking down at the mournful girl and motioning for her to go up. Connie stared at the grieving father for a moment before turning and walking to the pile of items in the sand. When she reached the memorial, Connie stopped, trying desperately to hold back tears. Finally, she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Steven…you promised me that you would be careful. That you would stay safe. But you didn't, and now you're…you're…" Unable to finish her sentence, Connie but her face in her hands and began to bawl. Suddenly, the crowd behind her grew unaccountably disquieted. Looking up, Connie slowly turned around and noticed a figure deliberately approaching the group.

The grief-stricken girl's eyes widened, and her heart stopped.


	19. Strong in the Real Way

Strong in the Real Way

An air of tranquility hung over Rose's secret armory. Concealed within a cavern in a location known only to a handful of gems, the ancient cache had been entirely overlooked by the vicious Homeworld gem in her search for the rebel leader. The crystal clear waters reflected the numerous stalactites that hung majestically from the vast ceiling. A gust of wind blew into the cavern, creating a ripple in the water which spread through the cave, breaking on rock formations which had been forming for millennia.

The peaceful silence was suddenly broken by a yawn, which echoed through the cavernous chamber. The origin of the sound, a large pink lion, stretched his jaws wide into another yawn, which lasted several seconds, before licking his lips. The gentle cat blinked and looked around the armory for any sign of intruders. Turning his head, the feline guardian looked back at the small boy resting silently on his furry midsection. Not wanting to disturb him, Lion once again rested his head on the ancient platform.

It had been a few days since Lion had brought Steven to the armory. The pink guardian had been out exploring several days earlier, enjoying the thrill of the hunt and the peace nature afforded. He frequently explored on his own; though he felt a kinship with Steven, he sometimes enjoyed being alone. After Lion had grown weary of the wilds, he had decided to return to Beach City. What he found upon his arrival had been startling.

The town was in chaos. People were frantically trying to escape the city as quickly as possible. Lion quickly realized that the source of the disturbance was on the beach, and became acutely aware that Steven could be in danger. Without hesitation, the pink cat bolted down the boardwalk, narrowly avoiding the panicked residents as they scrambled about in the darkness. His progress impeded by the frenzied humans, Lion took several minutes to reach the edge of the beach.

He arrived just in time to watch the light cannon fire, watching as the beam of energy spiraled across the sand, bathing the beach in a brilliant light. Lion froze and watched the luminous blast. After the shot faded, he began to slowly pad through the sand, being careful to remain concealed under the cover of night. Upon reaching the cannon, he saw Steven curled up in the sand motionless. Realizing that Steven must be hurt or worse, Lion dashed over to the unconscious boy and picked him up, dropping one of his flip-flops in the sand.

Though completely unaware of any of the precedent events, Lion trusted his instinct to protect the young boy. He fled the beach with Steven in his mouth, and ran until he was a fair distance away from the seaside city. From there, the pink protector had decided to teleport himself and Steven somewhere safe. He traveled to Rose's armory, where he remained for several days. Though he had left the cave a few times to find food, he had spent most of the time watching over Steven. Lion's attention turned once again to look at the half-gem in his charge, and let out a small whine. Shifting his position, Lion turned and rested his head next to Steven.

Without warning, the young injured gem began to stir. Lion watched as he waded in and out of consciousness; finally slowly opening his eyes and blinking, taking several minutes to register his surroundings.

"Ugh…Wha…where…am I?" Steven stammered groggily. "How did I get…?" Steven tried to stretch, immediately wincing at the pain as his arms protested the motion. Lion let out an inquisitive whine, causing Steven to turn his still blurred attention to the pink cat.

"Lion?" he asked wearily. "Where did you come from?" The last thing he remembered was his shield forming right before the light cannon blast hit him. As the wounded young gem gradually came to, the reality of the situation began to dawn on him.

"The gem…everyone's in danger!" Steven tried to sit up, but a flash of pain flared in his chest causing him to fall back onto Lion. The pink feline shifted slightly. Grabbing his companion for support, the wounded gem let out a pained groan as he slowly rose to his feet. Noticing that his sandal was missing, Steven frowned.

"Aw, that was my favorite pair." he murmured disappointedly, closing his eyes again and leaning heavily on Lion. As Steven's head began to clear, the events of the past week came back into focus. Realizing the danger the Homeworld gem posed, Steven's exhaustion was replaced by a feeling of dread.

"We need to get back to Beach City," Steven stated. He looked over at his feline companion, deep in thought. "But the gem might still be there. Maybe I can go through the town without anyone noticing me. "Can you get me just outside Beach City?" the worried boy asked.

Lion stared as him for a moment before sitting down. Steven carefully climbed on his friend's back. Standing up again, Lion broke into a run, summoned a magic portal, and leapt through it at full speed. The pair hurled through the magical warp for several seconds before emerging on the road that led to Beach City. The momentum threw Steven off of Lion's back and sent him sprawling onto the pavement.

"Ow!" the young gem exclaimed, nursing his bruised shoulder. Lion walked over and nudged him with his large wet nose, causing him to give a small smile. The young half-gem groaned as he shakily got to his feet, leaning on Lion in order to keep his balance. He had been unconscious for the past few days, and now felt overwhelmingly exhausted.

"Well, it doesn't look like the bad gem is still here." Steven said, looking out at the quiet town. The wounded boy tried to climb onto Lion's back once more, but his injuries stifled his attempts. After trying for several minutes, he gave up.

"Alright, let's go," Steven said determinedly. Clinging to Lion for support, he began his arduous journey to the beach.

As Steven limped along the quiet road, he began to think about the events of the past week. It disturbed him that the Homeworld gem had managed to best the crystal gems twice. Steven had never seen someone so powerful in his entire life! Sure, Jasper had been pretty beefy, but Steven believed the mysterious gem could have crushed the orange warrior without breaking a sweat. He wondered if there were other, stronger gems elsewhere in space. If there were, he wasn't sure how he and the gems would fair if one of them came to earth. Steven dearly hoped that he wouldn't encounter any more Homeworld gems.

Once he reached the outskirts of the beachside town, he was forced to stop and catch his breath. The young gem had much less stamina than usual; his injuries were taxing his strength. Still leaning on his companion, the resolute half-gem continued his trek down the street towards the boardwalk. Looking over at a store window, he noticed his reflection in a store window. The image that stared back startled him.

Steven looked as he had after his first encounter with the Homeworld gem. His hair was wild, and his face was covered in cuts and bruises. One of his sleeves was missing, and his jeans were ripped. A section of his shirt was torn, revealing a large burn that crossed his side. A wave of nausea hit the young gem, forcing him to lean against the window until it passed.

After a few minutes, Steven renewed his journey towards the beach, still leaning on Lion. As the duo continued their grim pilgrimage, he began to get the feeling that something was wrong. The streets were totally empty, devoid of the usual traffic which flowed in and out of the sleepy beachside town. All of the shops and businesses were deserted; Steven noticed that many of were displaying 'closed' signs.

"Lion, does this seem weird to you too?" the worn gem asked his furry companion. Lion looked over at the disquieted boy clinging to him and let out a curt snort. Smiling weakly, Steven reached out with his working arm and petted him for a few seconds before continuing forward. As he trudged through the town, horrifying thoughts danced through his mind, causing him to cringe. What if the gem survived the light cannon blast? What if his dad and the others didn't escape in time? What if the gem _was_ still at the beach, waiting for him? Steven shuddered and looked around nervously for any sign of danger.

After walking for another minute, Steven was forced to stop and rest once more. The heat of the day, combined with his numerous injuries, was beginning to wear on him. After a short break, the weary boy managed to carry on his desperate mission. Finally, he reached his dad's seemingly abandoned carwash. Scanning his surroundings once more to make sure it was safe, Steven slowly made his way towards the looming structure. He managed to carefully traverse the concrete driveway, still leaning on Lion for support. Upon reaching the wash tunnel, Steven stealthily peered inside, only to find it empty. His inspection of the rest of the building yielded similar results. Emerging from the deserted business, Steven proceeded onto the main road before stopping once again to catch his breath.

"No one's here, Lion. It looks like all of Beach City is deserted. Do you think the Homeworld gem got them?" Lion responded with a blank stare.

"We should get to the beach," Steven asserted, fear evident in his voice. "Everyone might be there."

The young gem took several steps before stopping abruptly. Steven suddenly felt breathless. Without warning, a wave of dizziness came over him. Steven waited for the feeling to pass, however, it only worsened, and the injured boy's strength began to fail him. Loosening his grip on Lion, the hurt gem stumbled backwards, trying desperately to maintain his balance.

"Lion…I don't…feel…so…good." The pink guardian watched as his companion crumpled to the ground. Lion let out a long whine of concern and nudged Steven with his nose, eliciting a pained groan from the fading boy. Lion hesitated for several seconds, unsure of how to proceed. Not wanting to put Steven in more danger, he decided to go to the beach alone in search of help. Turning, the pink guardian bolted down the street towards the beach. Lion dashed as quickly as he could, ignoring caution and stealth as he sprinted towards the sandy shore.

Finally, the magical animal reached the edge of the beach. Noticing an unusual group of humans by the shore, Lion slowed his pace. Lowering his head defensively, he slowly began to pad through the loose sand. After a moment, the large pink cat noticed several of the humans staring at him with looks of surprise, confusion, and grief. As he drew closer, more people turned their gaze towards him. Finally, someone from among the group spoke.

"Lion?" The pink protector looked down to see Connie approaching him, her eyes stained with tears. After a minute, Greg emerged from the crowd and joined the grieving girl. Remembering his mission, Lion let out a roar before turning and bounding up the beach. After several yards, he turned, glared at the pair, and let out another roar.

"I…I think he wants us to follow him," Greg suggested. Connie nodded, and the duo took off after the magical cat.

The pair ran up the beach, trying to keep pace with Lion as he bolted towards the heart of Beach City. The pink guardian slowed occasionally, allowing Connie and Greg to catch up before surging forward again. After several minutes of running, Lion finally came to a halt and let out a roar. Seeing that the pink feline had stopped, Connie and Greg slowed to a walk, panting heavily.

"He stopped," Connie gasped. "What do you think he wants to show…" At that moment, the pair simultaneously noticed the injured boy lying in the middle of the road.

"Is that…" Greg began.

"Steven!" Connie finished. Her exhaustion forgotten, Connie sprinted over to her friend's prone form and knelt down. Carefully grabbing his shoulder, she flipped him onto his back, and looked him over. After a few seconds, the young girl put an ear to his chest, and her eyes widened.

"He's breathing! He's alive!"


	20. Together

Together

A lone gem trudged through the jungle, ducking and weaving between the dense foliage. The weary traveler growled in frustration as she advanced towards her carefully concealed spaceship. The length and arduousness of the long hike, combined with her recent humiliating defeat at the hands of a human child, served to sour her mood. The Homeworld gem fought the urge to stop and strangle the countless birds which squawked incessantly overhead.

"Ugh…stupid earth creatures…won't be quiet," she grumbled. "They're mocking me…they're all gonna mock me." The gem paused, and a painful realization came to her.

"I'll have to report this to Yellow Diamond. She'll have me destroyed. Unless…" A sadistic smile came to the gem. "She'll never know."

Pushing her way through several overgrown vines, the gem finally came to a clearing in the foliage. Stepping out of the dense tangle, the Homeworld gem let out a sigh of relief and looked over the massive ship before her. She had been allowed to commandeer the vessel to travel to earth. However, due to her limited experience as a pilot, her landing after the assault on the human town had been less than exemplary, and had caused some damage to the ship. The Homeworld gem was glad that she had encountered a gem technician on earth. Even though she couldn't stand Peridot's disdainful attitude, the lime-green gem had her uses. Still, the massive warrior had no intention of fulfilling her promise to her measly mechanic.

The Homeworld gem entered her ship and sighed, surveying the interior of the massive crystalline transport. She tromped through the countless corridors and hallways until she reached the bridge. Upon entering the room, she found Peridot working to effect repairs on the flight controls. Turning to face her, the technician scowled and let out a frustrated sigh.

"You're back," she stated coldly, returning her attention to a damaged panel. "I'm almost done fixing the damage you caused. I recommend you learn how to operate a ship."

"I recommend you be quiet before I make you," the Homeworld gem retorted sharply. "Keep working. I expect to be ready to leave soon." Peridot mumbled something before pausing and looking back at the gem warrior.

"So where's Rose?" the green gem inquired. "You did catch her, didn't you?"

"Yeah," the Homeworld gem responded. "She's gone. She tried to escape to the human settlement, but I caught her. And ended her." Peridot gave her a skeptical look.

"Really. Then where is her gem?" the technician asked, turning her attention back to her repairs.

"It's gone," the hulking gem responded tersely. "I crushed it."

"You're lying. Yellow Diamond wants Rose Quartz's gem intact. You don't have it because you didn't beat her."

"Shut up!" the brawler replied, her temper flaring dangerously. "One word of this to anyone on Homeworld and I'll crush your gem into dust!"

"Hmph," Peridot replied, dismissing her companion's threat. After looking over the control panel one more time, the green gem stood up. "The repairs are complete. We can now return to Homeworld."

"No," the massive warrior gem replied, "_I_ can return to Homeworld."

"Huh?"

"You're not coming back with me," the gem warrior continued. "You have failed your mission repeatedly. I have no reason to help such a pathetic excuse for a gem. You deserve to stay on this worthless planet."

"But we had a deal!" the gem technician exclaimed furiously. "You said that if I help you find Rose and…"

"I don't make deals with weaklings," the gem warrior interrupted. "I'm going to go report to the Homeworld. I expect you to be gone when I get back." At that, she turned and left the bridge, ignoring the green gem's icy glare.

The Homeworld gem walked briskly through the interior of the ship, her footsteps echoing through the quiet corridors, and her thoughts echoing in her mind. She wondered if her plan would work. Peridot was right. She didn't have Rose's gemstone, and she had been told to retrieve it. If anyone pressed the issue, they would likely discover that she had failed her mission. The massive warrior briefly debated telling the truth, but quickly discarded the notion. If they learned that she hadn't captured Rose, the consequences would be severe. No, her only option was to make Yellow Diamond _think_ she had succeeded.

The hulking gem finally reached her destination, and quickly went inside. The room was empty, save a control panel on the far wall and a transparent screen. Walking over to the console, the gem warrior entered a simple command, and the screen flickered to life, displaying data about the ship. Smiling slightly, she entered another string, and the display went blank. After several seconds, it lit up again, and a gem appeared onscreen. Looking down at the warrior, the gem scowled.

"Report," she commanded tersely.

"I made it to earth and scouted the Kindergarten. I encountered four rebels, including Rose Quartz."

"Did you complete your mission?"

"Yes," the Homeworld gem replied. "I eliminated Rose, and the rebels."

"Did you manage to locate the technician we sent?" her superior inquired.

"She was destroyed by the rebels," the warrior responded, shifting nervously. "I will be returning alone."

"She's lying."

The Homeworld gem turned to find Peridot standing in the entrance to the room. The green gem stopped a few feet from the screen before continuing.

"This is Peridot reporting. I am alive. She encountered Rose and the rebels at a temple, and then again in the Kindergarten. However, she failed to capture or defeat Rose on both occasions."

"She's lying!" the Homeworld gem stated defiantly, glowering at her backstabbing technician. "She's wanted to sabotage me all along!"

"If you really did beat Rose," the green gem replied slyly, "then where is her gem?"

"Yes," the overseer agreed. "Yellow Diamond ordered you to retrieve Rose's gem. Show it to me."

"I…crushed it" the Homeworld gem responded, her resolute tone belying her concern.

"You expect me to believe such an obvious lie." the overseer asked scornfully, causing her deceitful subordinate to back away from the screen. "How dare you try to trick me! You had one job. One! And you failed. Miserably. And then you have the gall to try and lie about your incompetence. Don't bother coming back to Homeworld. You're pitiful. I will report your flagrant insubordination to Yellow Diamond. She will decide what to do with you." At that the gem pushed a button, and the communication ended. The Homeworld gem turned to her traitorous companion and snarled viciously.

"YOU!" she seethed, baring her teeth. "You betrayed me! Prepare to die!" The massive warrior summoned her cudgel and swung at Peridot, but the green gem dodged. Landing behind her aggressor, she summoned her cannon, aimed at the ceiling, and fired several rapid shots. The blasts tore through the roof of the ship, creating a large hole. Not waiting for her outraged attacker to recover, the nimble technician whirled her fingers and began to hover, slowly rising towards the opening.

"Hahaha, you missed! You thought you could catch me. But you're just like those crystal clods, gullible and slow. Well, now you're going to regret not taking me back to Homeworld. I sabotaged the ship's engine. Now you're trapped here too. We both know what's coming. And we both know what will happen to you. There's no way for you to save yourself now!"

The Homeworld gem watched as the technician flew through the hole and out of sight. After a few moments, she turned and headed back to the bridge, muttering about her mutinous companion. Upon reaching her destination, she tried to initiate take-off, only to discover that Peridot had, in fact, sabotaged the engine, rendering the vessel inoperable. The frustrated warrior slammed her fist against the control panel. She couldn't believe that she had failed to destroy Rose. And she wished that she had taken care of Peridot when she had the chance. The Homeworld gem smiled grimly as a mortifying thought came to her. She and Rose had one thing in common.

They were both doomed.

* * *

A word from the author:

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to thank you all for joining me through this journey. This was my first fanfiction, and I'm so thankful for your continued support throughout my story. I would like to thank everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed. Your feedback has been greatly appreciated, and has helped me to grow as a writer.

I am also pleased to announce that since this story was so well received, I have decided to write a sequel, which will be titled _The Odds are Against Us_. If you haven't already followed me (the author, not the story), be sure to do so, and look for my new story. The first chapter should be coming out soon. Watch for it!

Once again, thank you. Stay awesome!

-Lotus


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